Finding What's Lost
by Ruby1235
Summary: Orihime and Ichigo are adjusting to their lives as new parents to their daughter, as well as incorporating training into their lives after taking a couple months off. When Orihime discovers that Aizen didn't die after all, she finds that nobody was planning on letting her in on this fact, including Ichigo. With secrets growing, it is easy to lose sight of what really matters...
1. I Guess It's Okay

**A/N: Here is the long awaited sequel to The Reason! I know it took much longer than I said it would, but life has thrown me a lot of curveballs over the past year and a half. Thank you all for reading. Oh, and if you haven't, there is a spin-off of The Reason focusing on Karin and Yuzu Kurosaki. Some of the events that happened in that story might pop into this one. I am also planning on releasing a sequel for that spin-off as well. So a lot of Bleach content is coming your way!**

* * *

 **June 26th**

Bright orange hair was the first thing that came to his attention when he walked in front of the mirror. Ichigo's eyes moved to focus on the rest of the mirror, as he slipped on his shirt. He could see a bed with the comforter and sheets jumbled up. A couple of empty baby bottles on the bedside table, and a basket full of baby clothes that were only half folded. His eyes focused back on himself, and he stopped at the sight of a bandage on his right shoulder that came down onto his chest. Wincing a little when he moved that arm, he buttoned up the shirt. Hiding the bandage from view.

After straightening out the collar of his shirt, he turned and left the bedroom. As he walked down the stairs, he felt at home in this new house. After spending nearly two months there, everything finally found its spot, and had the homey feel. Once downstairs, he walked into the living room. Stopping as his eyes went to the back door. The sunlight brightening around the shadowed figure of his beautiful fiance.

Orihime seemed to have heard him come downstairs, as she turned to face him. Her longer curled orange hair floating around her as she did. Their one and a half month old daughter in her arms. Her grey eyes met his, and her smile seemed to light up the room. "Still mad at me?"

"I don't know." Ichigo replied after a moment, walking over and accepting Mina from her, as his eyes focused down on their daughter. Her eyes had finally settled to more of Orihime's grey than the blue/grey they were when she was born.

Orihime continued to smile at Ichigo, as she moved to slip her shoes on. Her green and white sundress on her. "It's not like it is THAT big of a deal."

"You lied to me," was Ichigo's reply, as he raised an eyebrow. "That's not a big deal to you?"

"I don't really see how I lied. I may have not exactly told you-" Orihime was interrupted when the back door was pushed open. There was a lot of pitter patter sound, as a slightly clumsy little golden retriever puppy shot past them. Yipping away while circling Orihime and Ichigo.

"You adopted a dog without telling me." Ichigo said, frowning as the excited puppy was circling Orihime.

Orihime laughed, as she knelt down to pet the energized puppy. "Ichigo, I already told you. I didn't plan on getting a dog. I just happened to be walking by the shelter with Mai and-"

"Left with a dog," Ichigo interrupted, sighing down at Orihime. "Mina's only a month and a half old, and she requires our 24/7 attention. Do you really think we need to add a puppy on top of that?"

"Yes," Orihime replied quickly, noticing how Ichigo didn't anticipate that to be her response, she laughed again. "Ichigo it'll be fine. Just think, Mina will have this little guy growing up with her. They can be best friends."

Silence filled the air for a long moment. The only sound being the puppy's paws tapping on the floor, and it's tail hitting the floor as well. Finally Ichigo sighed again, and moved to put Mina in her carrier. "I still can't believe you didn't tell me."

"Like you don't tell me stuff," Orihime replied, as she straightened up. Reaching over once he had finished putting Mina down, she pressed her hand down on his right shoulder, and raised an eyebrow at him visibly flinching. "Like how you've been going back to fighting hollows and training even though we both agreed to cool it for the first two months after Mina was born."

Ichigo's eyes went wide, he laughed, then rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh-"

"Yeah, I know about that." Orihime said as she smirked back at him. "Our two months aren't up until another two and a half weeks."

"I know we agreed to wait," Ichigo said, as he watched Orihime pick the puppy up to take him back to the laundry room. "But, to be one hundred percent honest… I really needed to go out and do something."

"I'm so sorry boy, but we'll be back home in a few hours. You have food, water, and a lot of comfy places to sleep," Orihime apologized to the little puppy who wanted to follow her back out of the laundry room. Finally closing the door, Orihime turned to walk with Ichigo to the front door. "I guess I can understand that. It feels like sometimes that staying in the house is all we've done the past few weeks. I think we're both at a point where we need to get out of the house more."

"That doesn't make us bad parents, does it?" Ichigo asked, once they were outside.

Pausing on the porch as Ichigo locked the door, Orihime moved up on her toes to kiss his cheek. "No, we're just a little stir crazy. I think it's time we re-consider our anti baby sitter stance. That way we can go out every once in a while."

"I'm sure Karin and Yuzu would love to when they come back home in a couple days," Ichigo replied, taking Orihime's hand, and holding Mina's carrier with the other. They started down the steps, then the walkway. "And you know that Tatsuki practically wants to adopt her, so she'll be available too."

Laughing along with Ichigo, Orihime's laughter settled as they got to the car. Watching Ichigo put Mina into the car, she smiled at him when he finished up, and looked to her. "You look nice today."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow at Orihime's smile, the sweet look in her eyes, and her holding his hand. Finally, realizing why exactly she was doing it, a smile of his own broke out on his face. "I guess it is okay that we have the dog-"

"Yay!" Orihime exclaimed, as she moved to sit down in the passenger seat of the car after Ichigo opened the door for her. "We have to give him a name now that you have agreed to him staying here forever."

Ichigo paused before he could shut her door. "Should we stop by the store and get some sticky notes?"

That had made them both start laughing. Reminding them both back to the time just a few months before Mina was born when they were trying to pick her name. Time certainly has flown by.

 **A half hour later**

Walking out onto the patio of Fair Garden, a popular brunch place with a large outdoor patio. It had a lot of plants and fountains around the tables, and white table cloths and flower center pieces.

"Are you sure this is where a four-year-old's birthday party is?"

"Yes Ichigo," Orihime said, laughing at his raised eyebrow. "This is apparently what Raya asked Rin for. She wanted to have everyone dress up for it too."

"A fancy tea party for a four-year-old," Ichigo replied, then he chuckled. "I was expecting fairy tail or princess themed."

"Well that was last year," Orihime replied, just as her eyes moved forward to see a tiny human with long brown curled hair, and darker grey eyes running towards her. Smiling as the little girl got to her, she hugged the girl to her. "Happy birthday sweet girl."

"Orihime!" Raya exclaimed, as she jumped up and down. "I'm so excited to see you."

Smiling at how Raya jumped around, Orihime wished she had that much energy to do the same. "Me too, this is going to be so much fun."

Raya giggled happily, as she settled down. Looking into Mina's carrier, she smiled big. "She is so much bigger than the last time I saw her."

"She must have had a growth spurt since last weekend," Ichigo said, laughing along with Raya. Ever since Orihime met Raya at their graduation party almost a month ago, the two seemed to click instantly. After a few more meetings over the last month, Raya finally got to come over and spend one night with them last weekend. Where she got to see Mina a lot, and apparently they were now best friends according to the four-year-old.

"Hi, I'm glad you two could make it," Rin greeted them, hugging them both, and taking Raya's hand. "She's been so excited for you two and Mina to show up, that has been all she has talked about since we got here to set up."

"Well this has been all I have been thinking about too," Orihime said, smiling down at Raya, then her eyes met Rin's. "Ichigo, on the other hand, has been more focused on being mad about me about the puppy.

Rin raised an eyebrow "When did you-"

"You have a puppy!" Raya exclaimed, then she brought a hand to her mouth as her eyes went to Mina. "I'm sorry, that was loud."

Orihime smiled, as Mina didn't seem the slightest bit bothered as she continued sleeping. "It's okay, she seems to be a heavy sleeper," she said, then looked back to Rin. "Yeah, long story short, I adopted a puppy yesterday, and it was apparently a big deal that I didn't consult with Ichigo first."

"That's a pretty big decision," Ichigo said, then he shook his head at her raised eyebrow. "But we've already discussed it, and I'm not mad anymore."

Orihime grinned at Rin, as she crossed her arms. "I'm pretty sure that's only because he's lied to me about going back to training, so we're even now."

Raya tugging on Rin's hand kept Rin from replying back. Raya's eyes focused up on her mom. "Can we go sit down? I want to eat cake."

"How about we have lunch first, then you can have your cake?"

"Okay," Raya said, nodding in agreement, as her eyes went to Orihime next. "Will you sit next to me?"

"Of course." Orihime replied with a smile.

 **An hour later**

Watching as Raya played around with some cousins from Rin's side of the family, Orihime's eyes then moved to Akira who had shown up a little late to the party. "So you and Tatsuki finally got back from all of your travels?"

"Yeah, we had a lot of stops that weren't originally planned for, but it was fun. Even though it extended our travels for an extra week," Akira said, shrugging as she picked up her class of champagne on the table. "That's also why I was a bit late. I had to shower and find something clean to wear."

"The struggle," Orihime said jokingly, laughing along with Akira. "Champagne at a four-year-old's birthday party?"

Akira smirked after she took a sip. "Relax, I told her that it was juice," she replied, taking another sip, then her eyes went to Ichigo. "So have you talked to Yuzu or Karin recently?"

Ichigo raised an eyebrow at his sister's being brought up. "No, why?"

"No reason." Was all Akira said, as she shrugged and once again took a sip of champagne.

Mina starting to cry had Ichigo standing up before Orihime could even look over. "You just fed her so she probably needs to be changed. I'll take care of it."

"Thank you," Orihime said, smiling at Ichigo as he took Mina and her diaper bag and walked away. Her eyes moved to Akira. "Didn't you and Tatsuki stay in a place not far from Moss Tree where Yuzu's art program was?"

Akira noticeably froze, as her eyes met Orihime's. Recovering after a moment, she coughed, and straightened up. "Yeah we did. We were super busy, and I'm sure Yuzu was too. So we didn't really have time to cross paths I guess."

"That's true..." Orihime trailed off as her eyes went to her phone. Toshiro texting her back that he'd be back in Karakura Town in a couple days. _What a coincidence. That's the same day Karin and Yuzu are coming home too._ "I wonder where Toshiro's been. He's been gone for over two weeks. I mean he's been texting me, but he hasn't been around."

"No idea," Akira replied, offering a smile as she sipped her champagne. "Maybe he is just busy on a mission, or assignment, or something..."

"Maybe he is… On another note, I get to start training next week." Orihime started to change the subject, as she felt excited at the thought of finally getting to really test out her powers.

 **A few hours later**

"Chicken is done."

"So is everything else," Orihime replied, setting their plates with their side items down on the kitchen and table. "I think it's a good idea that we started planning our meals out at the beginning of the week. It makes it easier to get dinner done quicker at the end of the day."

"Agreed," Ichigo said, sitting down at the table with her, then they started to eat. As they were eating, he began to watch Orihime closely. Her focus went from Mina who was asleep in her rocker sleeper on the floor beside the table, then to the puppy who was going around the table and slipping under their chairs in hopes of getting food. "You know, I figured out why it takes you so long to finish eating."

Orihime looked up to meet his eyes. "Why?"

Ichigo laughed, as he motioned to Mina then the puppy. "It has mostly been Mina, but it seems the new puppy is just adding to your distraction."

"What can I say?" Orihime countered after a moment, focusing back on her food finally. "The puppy is adorable, and we made a pretty cute baby. It's hard not to look."

"I can agree with the second half of that," Ichigo replied, shaking his head at Orihime's frown. "I'm trying here, okay? It may take a few more days before I finally can fully accept the fact that we now own a dog."

"I don't think it'll take you that long. I guarantee he is going to be your new best friend." Orihime shot back, a confident smirk on her face.

"Yeah because it's not like I don't have Chad, Tatsuki, or Uryu anymore." Ichigo replied sarcastically, smirking at her laughter.

"Well to be fair, Tatsuki has been doing a lot of traveling the past few weeks, and Chad and Uryu both train a lot-" Orihime broke off when her phone buzzed. She smiled as she opened up the message.

"What?"

Orihime turned her phone for him to look. "The rest of our graduation pictures."

"I feel like that was forever ago." Ichigo replied, squinting his eyes, then he turned the brightness up on her screen. Swiping through the photos, he stopped on the last one, and smiled as it was of Mina. "She's certainly has got bigger over the past few weeks."

"That means we're doing something right," Orihime joked, as he passed her phone back to her. Switching back to one of them, her smile widened. "The photographer is going to send me the physical copies so I can put them around the house."

"Orihime, we already have the other two rounds of graduation pictures hanging up. I don't think we need anymore-"

"Well I won't do all of them, I think I'll put one in Mina's scrapbook, and maybe give a some to Isshin- Oh, and then your aunt wanted some-"

"We should just have the photographer make ten copies of each photo then." Ichigo mumbled, as he picked his fork back up.

"Good idea." Orihime replied, starting to text the photographer back.

Ichigo shook his head quickly. "I was just joking-"

"I know," Orihime said, finishing the text, and going back to her food. "But I wasn't."

Ichigo laughed, as she stuck out her tongue. "I love you."

Orihime finally broke and laughed along with him. Leaning over to kiss him. "I love you too- Ow!" She exclaimed, as she felt the puppy's sharp little teeth getting her toe. "We need to get you some toys. My toes are not for you to bite."

Ichigo smirked, as he took another bite of chicken. "We can stop by the pet store tomorrow while we are out to get Mina some more diapers."

"That sounds good to me." Orihime replied, shaking her head at Ichigo's smirk.

 **Later that evening**

Smiling down at Mina, who was finally asleep, Orihime turned away from the crib, and tiptoed to the door. She grabbed the baby monitor and turned off the lights on her way out. Walking into the bathroom beside Mina's room, Orihime turned on the bath water. Sighing after grabbing the new dog shampoo out of the cabinet. "I'm sorry!"

Moments later, the sound of footsteps and a tiny puppy's barking was heard. Then Ichigo walked into the bathroom. A very muddy and squirmy puppy in his hands. "At least he didn't track the mud onto the carpet."

"I know, but it was still a lot to mop up on the wood floor," Orihime said, stopping the water after Ichigo put their puppy in the bath tub. She started getting him wet, and with a little bit of soap. "He was just so excited to go flop around in the grass after it rained. I just didn't realize how close he was getting to the dirt where my garden is."

"Well… he was having a lot of fun, and I think he felt bad for the mud on the kitchen floor." Ichigo replied after a moment, having to kneel down to help keep the puppy from escaping the bath tub, as Orihime focused more on washing him.

Raising an eyebrow at Ichigo's words, Orihime smirked. "You think he felt bad?"

At Orihime's question and raised eyebrow, Ichigo shrugged after a moment. "You were putting Mina to bed while I was cleaning up. I could just tell."

"Right." Orihime started laughing, as she focused back down on the puppy.

It was quiet for a moment as they had to focus on keeping the puppy from escaping the tub, and getting the mud off of him. Ichigo glanced over to Orihime and sighed. "Okay, so maybe after playing around with him after dinner changed my mind fully on the stance on having him here. It kinda feels like he adds something to our family."

Chuckling at his admission, Orihime tried to hold back on gloating. "I'm glad you like him-" She stopped when she noticed her engagement ring had gotten a little dirty in the process of washing the puppy.

Ichigo noticed her eying her ring. "So have you thought of a date yet?"

"No, not yet. It's hard to decide."

"I don't really mind when," was Ichigo's reply, as he smiled at her. "All that matters is that you agreed to marry me. Even if it is tomorrow or ten years from now, I will know that we both want to spend the rest of our lives together."

"Aw, that's so sweet." Orihime sighed happily, as she leaned over to kiss him. Their kiss was broken apart when the puppy splashed a lot of water in an attempt to escape the bathtub.

"Bingo."

"What about Bingo?"

"No," Ichigo started, laughing, as they settled the puppy back down. "I meant that is what we should name him."

Nodding her head after a moment, Orihime met his eyes. "I like it. What made you think of it?"

"To be honest? It just popped into my head after he tried to escape the bath tub," Ichigo laughed again, as he finally picked up the wet but now clean puppy to meet his eyes. "I think he sent it to me in a secret code through our minds."

Laughing at his reasoning, Orihime grabbed a towel and put it around the puppy to dry him up. He squirmed around a bit, but finally accepted the towel. She smiled after she put him down, and he started running around the bathroom with the towel over his head. "Bingo it is then."

Watching Orihime smile as she watched Bingo running around, Ichigo leaned over and kissed her cheek. "I love you. Even when you go and buy a puppy without talking to me first. Even when you make me sit through watching Grey's Anatomy re-runs. And even when we argue at two a.m. over ridiculous nonsense things because we're all sleep deprived and cranky. I love you so much."

That made Orihime's smile widen, as she felt a warm happy feeling inside. "I love you too, Ichigo."

* * *

 **A/N: Yay! First chapter of the sequel to The Reason is done! I am so super pumped to be back writing it, and I am really happy that I have the spin-off now as well. That way I have a lot of Bleach content to work with. My favorite scene was the opening one for sure. I loved introducing a little peek into how Orihime and Ichigo are after the few weeks that have went by since The Reason ended. I also hinted to stuff that happened in the spin-off "Summer Dreaming". You all should definitely go check out the spin-off!**

 **Don't forget to review, favorite, and share this story with others. Also be sure to check out my other stories.**

 **Be sure to like my page (Ruby1235 Fanfiction) on Facebook and follow me on twitter ( Ruby1235Fanfic) for updates, sneak peeks, and hints for current and new stories :)**

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	2. I Thought We Were Done

_Review:_

 _Watching Orihime smile as she watched Bingo running around, Ichigo leaned over and kissed her cheek. "I love you. Even when you go and buy a puppy without talking to me first. Even when you make me sit through watching Grey's Anatomy re-runs. And even when we argue at two a.m. over ridiculous nonsense things because we're all sleep deprived and cranky. I love you so much."_

 _That made Orihime's smile widen, as she felt a warm happy feeling inside. "I love you too, Ichigo."_

* * *

 **A couple days later, June 28th**

"Okay, I only have a half hour," Isshin started, as he settled down at the round table at Urahara's. "I have to go pick up Karin and Yuzu at the airport soon."

Urahara nodded once. "This shouldn't take long. Now we are just waiting on-"

The doors opening, and Toshiro walking in stopped Urahara from talking. Rangiku smirked at the sight of him. "Where have you been? It's been over two weeks since we last saw you."

"Does it have to do with what we are looking into?" Renji asked quickly before Toshiro could reply.

Sighing heavily, Toshiro shrugged his shoulders, and stopped beside the table. "I was taking some time for myself."

"Really?" Rukia asked, an eyebrow raised. "Like a vacation? You?"

"First of all," Toshiro started before Renji or Rangiku could add anymore questions. "I am a captain, and I do not answer to any of you. Second of all, I needed time off to get away from all of this chaos."

At Toshiro motioning towards them it was quiet for a moment, then Renji scoffed. "Alright fine. But while you were away on vacation, did you forget that we have our own thing going on here?"

"There is more than enough of you here to do the recon. If too many of us had gone to do it, we would have got caught," Toshiro replied, then his eyes moved to Urahra. "Since I'm transitioning to becoming stationed here in this town more than in the Soul Society, I took the liberty of getting my own apartment and a vehicle. All I need are the papers. Birth certificate, social security, drivers license, all of it."

"I'll get right on that-"

"Aye! We get a new place to hang out in!" Renji exclaimed, interrupting Urahara.

"Incorrect, as I just said, it is MY apartment. Not a place for you all to congregate in-"

"As interesting as all of this is," Isshin interrupted Toshiro, getting focus back on him. "I have a limited time available to be here, so we need to kind of move this along."

Urahara coughed once, then gave a nod. "Alright, so as we discovered a few weeks ago, Aizen is alive and has someone new standing by his side. We have had a few teams on his trail since then, as we've been trying to figure out what his possible next move is."

"And obviously who the woman he's been with," Rin added, as she spoke since the first time being there. She had been more focused on texting Akira, who was currently entertaining her daughter, so she could be here at the meeting. "While all that has been going on, we've still managed to keep the knowledge of Aizen still being alive between us here in this room."

"As of three days ago, this woman and Aizen disappeared off the map," Urahara continued, shaking his head, then he adjusted his hat. "It is likely they went into hiding, and we don't have a motive for the sudden disappearing act. However, one thing that's strongly possible is that they probably won't be making a move so soon after the last one."

"But," Yoruichi said, frowning deeply. "That was months ago. How much time could someone like him need before he makes another move?"

"That may be true, but I don't believe Aizen was expecting Orihime's abilities. While it may have not ended up killing him, he would have received severe injuries. Because it did kill his arrancars, he'll probably have to find new forces. So while he's searching for that, he is probably also having to heal. I know it's been a few months since the attack, but he had to have been very close to death after it. That takes time to heal from."

"Well here is what I propose," Urahara started once Toshiro stopped talking. "We are going to continue on strengthening our own abilities, and preparing for any sudden movement from the opposing side. We'll also have people working on trying to relocate Aizen."

"As well as trying to identify the woman he is with." Yoruichi added.

Isshin cleared his throat here, as he got eyes on him. "I know it's not really my call, but I believe it is still best not to bring this to Orihime and Ichigo's attention… At least not yet. Not until we know more."

"I think that can continue," Toshiro agreed quickly. "However, they both need to go back to training. Well for Orihime it is more like she is starting her training, because we didn't get to do much while she was pregnant. Speaking of Orihime, I was thinking it might be best if someone else take her training on. I was thinking Yourichi, if you're up for it."

Yoruichi nodded, as her smile grew on her face. "Sounds good to me."

Once that was said, Isshin looked at his watch, then he stood up. "Alright, keep me updated. I've got to go pick up the girls."

"Has Kar-the girls plane landed?" Toshiro asked, stopping Isshin from leaving.

Looking down at his phone, Isshin shook his head. "No, not yet. It should be landing in a half hour or so."

Toshiro nodded, and was silent as Isshin left the room.

"Why exactly do you care when their plane lands?" Rangiku asked, an eyebrow raised. "I mean their nice kids, but I mean we don't really see them that often."

"I wouldn't really call them kids," Toshiro replied, then he coughed as he straightened up. "I just asked a simple question. I'm not always just business."

"Apparently not." Rukia agreed, shaking her head along with Renji, who looked to Toshiro next.

"Yeah, especially after the over two week long vacation you just had."

"It wasn't a vacation Renji-" Toshiro broke off, sighed heavily, and" started to the back hall. "I don't have to explain myself to any of you."

 **Almost an hour later**

"Alright, my dad said that Karin and Yuzu just landed, and they are waiting on their luggage now." Was the report Ichigo gave when he walked in from the back porch.

"Yay!" Orihime exclaimed, holding Bingo's front two paws, as he nibbled lightly at her hands. "I can't wait to see them. They probably have so many stories to tell."

"I bet. They probably got to do a lot since they were away from home." Ichigo agreed, plopping down on the couch, as he yawned.

"They did. I followed Karin on Instagram a few months ago when I first met her at your baby shower. Then I followed Yuzu I think the day that they went on their trip actually." It was Kira who said this, from where she was relaxing back on one of the couches. Holding Mina with a big smile on her face. "I want to go on a vacation like they were on."

Ichigo smirked at that. "Technically it was supposed to be for a music and art program. But after everything Orihime showed me that they posted, it made me wonder if they were actually doing any music or art."

"Yeah well either way, a vacation would be nice." Orihime said, smiling at Ichigo.

Hiroko made a noise from where Ryuu had been holding him, and Ryuu's eyes swept over the others. "Or maybe we're just all feeling a little stir crazy from staying home all the time."

That had them all laughing. Ichigo managed to stop first to speak. "That's probably true. Orihime and I were just talking about that a couple days ago."

"Mai said that tends to happen a few months in," Orihime laughed, as her eyes went from Bingo to the others. "But I mean it's not like we don't love our babies. It's just different from how busy we were before they were born."

Kira shrugged at the thought. "I think we're adjusting fine. Ryuu and I managed to finally agree to let Hiroko have a babysitter who isn't related to either of us or one of our friends so that helps."

"Orihime and I are looking into that," Ichigo said, then he grinned at Orihime. "We actually attempted it a few weeks ago, but Orihime nearly had a panic attack before we could get out of the driveway, so we stayed home."

"I'm getting better… Sort of," Orihime said, smiling as the others laughed. "I wonder what Ryuu has been up to- Karin's boyfriend, not you."

"I got that." Ryuu replied, humming as he adjusted Hiroko. "But thanks for clarifying we're not talking about me."

Ichigo reached over to scoop Bingo up from the ground when he started running around and under the coffee table. His eyes met Orihime's. "Are you saying that Karin hasn't told you every detail of her relationship?"

Rolling her eyes and smirking at Ichigo's laughter, Orihime reached over to pet Bingo. "She usually does. It just seems that over the past few weeks she hasn't said much about him."

"She's probably just had a lot more fun things going on with her program," Kira offered, as another thought came to mind. "Unrelated, I hear Karin is a pretty good babysitter."

"You guys live an hour away," Ichigo said, chuckling as he finally had to put Bingo back on the floor after he started wiggling around too much. "I don't see that as a practical arrangement."

"No, I mean whenever we come here to visit," Kira replied, as she passed Mina over to Ichigo, then accepted Hiroko from Ryuu when he started crying. "We can double date, and Karin can watch Mina and Hiroko."

"She'd probably love that," Orihime said, her hand going to her chest as she listened to the sound of Hiroko crying, as she stood up. "Yeah, I'm going to go pump. Everytime I hear a baby crying it just doesn't do well for me."

Kira laughed, as she went to go grab a bottle of her breast milk she brought with them from the refrigerator. "I hear you."

 **An hour later**

Walking into Urahara's, Orihime raised an eyebrow at the unusually quiet and empty main room. She couldn't remember that last time she came by and there wasn't at least the sound of someone from either the back hall, or the training spaces downstairs. Adjusting Mina's carrier on her arm, she walked further into the room, and stopped by the table.

Scattered around on the table top was several papers and files. Some she could tell were just basic paperwork for assignments or missions. However, when the name Aizen caught her eye, she leaned over a little to look closer. It seemed like just a simple scratch paper, but when she lifted the file that covered the rest of it she found it also said arrancars. _I thought we were done._ _With all of this._ _Why are they still going on about Aizen and the arrancars?_

The sound of a door opening and closing from the back hall, had Orihime quickly put the file back down, and stepped a couple steps back from the table. Just in time for Yourichi to appear from the back hall.

"I thought I heard you pull up," Yoruichi said, smiling as she got closer, and leaned over to look at Mina in her carrier. "And you brought this little angel with you."

"Yeah, I was trying to get her to take a nap, and she always goes right to sleep in the car," Orihime replied, smiling down at Mina. "We actually have guests at the house, and their two month old has a completely different sleeping schedule that Mina. Trying to get them to sleep at the same time together wasn't working out that well. So when I got your text to meet you here, I volunteered to go pick up pizza and try and get Mina to sleep before we get home."

"I guess it all works out then," Yoruichi said, chuckling as she straightened up. "This won't take long, but I wanted to ask if you were okay if I took over training you once you start back."

"Uh yeah, that'd be great actually. I haven't really figured out what the plan was just yet, and I guess I just got my answer," Orihime replied, then she remembered what she and Ichigo discussed earlier that day. "I do actually have a few things that might affect our training."

Yourichi nodded, as she crossed her arms. "I understand you have your daughter. If I were you, I wouldn't want to be away from her that long."

"Yeah," Orihime said, smiling as she looked down at Mina. "But it's also kind of important to Ichigo and I to train. We don't want to stick Mina with Ichigo's family or a babysitter everyday. It might be easier to do that when she gets older, but she's not even two months yet. We were kind of thinking of switching off training days, just so that way one of us can be with Mina. So I'd probably only get maybe three days a week, unless there is a day where Mina is with Ichigo's family or a babysitter. But, like I said-"

"That sounds good," Yoruichi interrupted, smirking at how Orihime had started to ramble. "I'm flexible with whatever schedule you need to have. We'll start with three days a week, and if there is any other day that you have available just give me a call."

Orihime sighed with relief at how understanding Yoruichi was. "Alright that's great. I'm so glad we could work that out."

Another sound from the back hall was heard, and in walked Toshiro. He was carrying a couple boxes, and he stopped when his eyes met Orihime's.

Yoruichi looked down at her phone buzzing, then back to Orihime. "I've got to go meet Urahara. Text me later with the three days you want to train next week."

"Will do," Orihime replied, watching Yoruichi until she left the room. Then her eyes were back on Toshiro. "Hey stranger."

Smirking, Toshiro chuckled as he walked over, and set the boxes down. "I guess I deserve that. It's been a couple weeks."

"I definitely feel like it has been longer. You seemed to be pretty preoccupied before then." Orihime said rather bluntly, as she smirked right back at him.

"You're right, I was a little busy," Toshiro agreed, amused at how forward she was. "I had somethings to work through, but don't worry. My focus is one hundred percent back to letting you vent to me about your life struggles."

Orihime laughed at that. "Thanks that means a lot. What's with the boxes?"

"Well since I'll be stationed more in the human world rather than the Soul Society, I figured I might as well get my own apartment. I also had to buy a car-"

"So that was your car out front?" Orihime interrupted, smiling after Toshiro nodded. "Look at you adulting already."

"Is that why you waited until just a right before your due dates to move into your house?" Toshiro asked with a smirk on his face. "Because that completely backfired since you went into labor and delivered two days early."

"I didn't say I was good at adulting," Orihime shot back, making them both laugh. "Well I'll have to come by and see your apartment sometime. I might bring a painting or two by to spice the place up."

That had Toshiro raising an eyebrow. "How do you know that I haven't decorated it myself?" It was silent after his question, and Orihime had raised an eyebrow at him. Finally he broke into laughter. "Okay, I haven't yet. But I plan to."

"I'll believe that when I see it," Orihime replied, her eyes traveling to the table of papers and files again. Aizen back on her mind. "So what have you been up to for the past two-almost three weeks? You practically disappeared."

"As I recall, I still texted you quite a bit while I was gone."

"Yeah, but I feel like you kind of up just up and left still."

Toshiro hummed lowly, then finally he shrugged and crossed his arms. "I just had something I had to do before I could settle in here. It was kind of last minute. I'm sure the business talk would bore you."

"Business?" Orihime questioned, an eyebrow raised. "So you weren't out fighting hollows, arrancars, or other big-bads?"

Her question seemed to take Toshiro off guard, but he was quick to recover. "Well you already know that the arrancars were all pretty much dead the second you did your attack. And I'm really not sure as to what "big-bads" you are talking about?"

Orihime was quiet, as her eyes dropped back to the table. The words highlighting Aizen and arrancars caught her eye. _He_ didn't _mention Aizen…_ Instead of frowning, Orihime put a smile on her face, as her eyes met his again. "I guess I'm just used to walking around like the world is ending everyday."

Stepping forward, Toshiro rested a hand on Orihime's shoulder, and smiled. "Well we did have a few stressful months before everything that happened with that big fight with Aizen and his arrancars. It is understandable that you still think about it, but you have nothing to worry about."

"You would tell me if I did?" Orihime countered, her eyes locking with his.

Toshiro hesitated, but nodded once. "If you had something to worry about I would tell you."

"Okay," Orihime agreed after a moment. "Well I have to get going. I need to go pick up pizza, then take Mina home."

"Alright, I guess I'll see you the day after tomorrow then."

"The day after tomorrow?" Orihime questioned, an eyebrow raised.

"Karin-I mean the girls welcome back party," Toshiro replied, laughing lightly, as he rubbed the back of his neck. "You and Ichigo invited us all in a text message a couple days ago. You said specifically that the reason why it is not tomorrow is to give Karin and Yuzu a day home to relax-"

Orihime's laugh interrupted him. "Oh right. Sorry. My brain is completely fried. Getting barely any sleep at night does that to you."

Toshiro hummed lowly, then offered her a smile. "Let's hope you get better sleep tonight then."

"Thanks. See you later." Orihime replied, offering him a wave, then she headed to the door. It wasn't until she had put Mina in the car, then got in herself that she stopped to take a long breath. Her eyes moved up to the mirror to look back at Mina's car seat. "Mina, it looks like something is going on here. Something that no one wants to tell us. There were so many things that my friends kept from me while I was pregnant to protect me… But that isn't going to happen this time. I think I'm going to have to take things into my own hands."

* * *

 **A/N: Another chapter down! So we got an update on the Aizen and mystery woman situation. We also got a visit from Kira, Ryuu, and their baby Hiroko in this chapter. I actually timed this chapter up to match up with the Summer Dreaming sequel that starts on Wednesday. (Summer Dreaming is a spin-off of The Reason) I was very specific when writing Toshiro scenes in this chapter, and who he talks about. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and I hope you all go check out Summer Dreaming and it's spin-off starting on Wednesday.**

 **Don't forget to review, favorite, and share this story with others. Also be sure to check out my other stories.**

 **Be sure to like my page (Ruby1235 Fanfiction) on Facebook and follow me on twitter ( Ruby1235Fanfic) for updates, sneak peeks, and hints for current and new stories :)**

 **Also be sure to check out my blog: ruby1235fanfiction. blogspot .com (no spaces)**


	3. He's Still Alive

_Review:_

" _Thanks. See you later." Orihime replied, offering him a wave, then she headed to the door. It wasn't until she had put Mina in the car, then got in herself that she stopped to take a long breath. Her eyes moved up to the mirror to look back at Mina's car seat. "Mina, it looks like something is going on here. Something that no one wants to tell us. There were so many things that my friends kept from me while I was pregnant to protect me… But that isn't going to happen this time. I think I'm going to have to take things into my own hands."_

* * *

 **The middle of the night between June 30th and July 1st**

Adjusting Mina who just finished up nursing, Orihime's eyes were focused on her laptop. Her whole body and mind felt exhausted to no end. However, she had yet to really get any time to relax and sleep between having a busy day, then Mina waking up on and off every forty-five minutes. She had been sleeping pretty well during the night, but it seems tonight was just one of those no-sleep kind of nights.

She had a document open that she had created to write down everything she remembered from the day she "supposedly" killed Aizen. She wanted to make sure she didn't end up missing anything that could lead to Aizen surviving. Everything she could remember lead to the fact that he had to have died. He was completely gone after the attack, along with pieces of his arrancars. _I mean he has to be dead right? There is no way he could have survived…_

Even as she thought it, she had this gut feeling that she could be wrong. Aizen could still be alive. _This would be easier if I could find more information at Urahara's. I didn't have that much time to go through the rest of the papers in that folder. Who knows? They might have a lot more hidden away somewhere. Maybe I can try to sneak around and search for that information. It has to be somewhere at Urahara's. Sure, there are a lot of possible rooms to look in. But, I bet it is there._ The sound of her phone buzzing stopped her thoughts, and she picked it up to see a text from Yuzu.

 _Yuzu: Are you up?_

Adjusting Mina once again, Orihime texted her back. _Yeah up with Mina. She doesn't seem to be going back to sleep, so I might be up for a while. Why aren't you asleep?_

 _Yuzu: My brain just won't stop buzzing around… It's been happening for a few days._

 _Orihime: About what happened when you were away for your art program? Want to talk about it?_

 _Yuzu: Yeah maybe… Will you come over tomorrow?_

 _Orihime: Sure. Ichigo and I have plans to go by to talk to your dad in the morning, then I have my first training session. If I can't talk to you in the morning, I can come by and see you before I go home after training._

 _Yuzu: Thank you._

Orihime frowned at Yuzu's reply. Without hesitation she started texting back. _Do you need me to come over now to talk?_

 _Yuzu: (hurriedly) no, no. I'm fine. I'd just like to talk to you tomorrow._

 _Orihime: Alright, if you're sure…_

 _Yuzu: I'm sure. Don't worry. Give Mina some cuddles for me._

 _Orihime: Will do. Goodnight Yuzu. Try to get some sleep._

 _Yuzu: Goodnight._

Setting her phone back down, Orihime fond herself focusing back on Mina, and humming lowly. Her mind on Yuzu. _I really hope she'll be okay._

"What are you doing up?"

Hearing Ichigo's voice had Orihime quickly reaching over to close her laptop, as her eyes met his once he was down the stairs. "Mina needed to nurse, and it doesn't seem like she wants to go back to sleep. So I figured I'd come down here and see what Bingo is up to."

Ichigo looked down at Orihime's feet where Bingo was currently laying on his back, and looking fast asleep. "It seems like he's sleeping. Kinda how like you should be," he said, walking over and taking Mina from her. "Go upstairs and get some sleep."

Orihime didn't move yet from the table, as her eyes met his again. "Ichigo, I don't mind-"

"You were up with her last night. It's my turn," Ichigo said, interrupting her, as he smiled. "Besides, tomorrow is your first day of training. You need some sleep."

Watching Ichigo for a long moment, Orihime finally smiled, as she stood up to kiss him. "Thank you," she said, moving to walk past him to the stairs, but she stopped after a couple steps. Turning back, she grabbed her laptop from the table. With one last look to Ichigo, who had gone over to the refrigerator, she started up the stairs. On her way up, she felt with each step her exhaustion hit her more and more. By the time she reached the top she had no doubt she was going to fall asleep the second her head met her pillows.

 **A few days later, July 4th**

"This guy is strong for such a little guy." Tatsuki noted, as Bingo tugged on his leash to keep them going forward.

"Yeah," Orihime said, smiling from where she was pushing Mina in her stroller beside her friend. They had decided to go for a walk in the park to get out of the house, and hang out. "He's adorable, isn't he?"

Tatsuki shrugged, but held a smirk on her face. "Well as much as it is against my nature to say things like this, he's a pretty cute little guy. I should get a dog to be his friend."

Orihime nodded in agreement, as they turned down another path in the park. "You should-"

"Don't agree with me," Tatsuki quickly interrupted with a laugh. "Don't encourage me to get a dog when you know I have a billion life things going on."

Smiling at Tatsuki, Orihime shrugged. "Well I'm sure a dog would make everything you have to do more fun… Or a boyfriend-"

"Changing the subject now!" Tatsuki exclaimed in interruption, shaking her head at Orihime's laughter. "What is Ichigo up to?"

"He's at training actually. We're switching off days. I got to train yesterday, he get's to train today, it'll be me tomorrow, and so on. I'm really loving my training."

"Training with Toshiro?"

"No Yoruichi actually."

"That's got to be interesting. I always thoughts she was a badass," Tatsuki replied, her eyes dropping down to Bingo as he had stopped for the thousandth time to pee on another tree. "You know, I could always train you in self-defense and strength."

"No offense," Orihime started, moving around the stroller to check on Mina since they were stopped. "But getting my ass kicked by my best friend everyday doesn't sound fun."

Smirking at what she considered a compliment, Tatsuki knelt down to pet Bingo a bit. "But you'd get stronger."

"Or I'd die," Orihime shot back, her focus going to Mina at the start of her fussing. Seeing she spit out her pacifier, Orihime put it back in, and thankfully that seemed to soothe Mina back down. Her eyes moved to Tatsuki. "I've been needing to get out of the house."

"Well you know I'm always open to babysit whenever you need me to."

"I know, but I also know that you're starting college at the end of the Summer," Orihime replied, sighing as she rested her arms on the stroller handle. "I want you to enjoy the rest of your Summer, and I want you to enjoy your college experience when that starts up. I feel like if I rely on you too much to babysit, that'd hold you back from the full experience."

"Okay one, I would literally love to do nothing more than spend every second of my life with my goddaughter," Tatsuki started back in reply, lifting her eyes from Bingo to meet Orihime's eyes. "Two, we've been best friends for like ever. You and Ichigo. Friends help each other out. If you and Ichigo both want to get out on the same day, you should be able to. You have Ichigo's family, me, Mai, Rin, and pretty much all our friends to help you out. And three, the rest of the Summer is my vacation which would happily include Mina whenever… You know Akira's going to the same college as me. It's not that far away. I won't be alone."

"I know, but I might be," Orihime replied, sighing at the sight of Tatsuki's raised eyebrow. "Okay so I won't be exactly. But still, I'll miss seeing you everyday."

Tatsuki straightened up so they could start walking again. "Are you still planning on going to college?"

"I don't know. I might. It's just with Mina, Bingo, and now my training… I really don't know how I'd be able to balance college too."

"Well knowing you; you'd probably figure it out."

"Thanks, but right now college just seems so far out of the picture. I feel like my focus needs to be on only a few things, because I don't want to stretch myself too far," Orihime said, her mind going to how she found out that Aizen was alive a few days ago. She had been looking into that, along with everything else she had to do. "Changing the subject, we should discuss how you and Akira want to decorate your dorm. I know if it is left up to you two, it will be left completely plain."

"It won't exactly be a dorm. It'll be an apartment. Akira wanted to stay more in-between campus and home. So that way she could come home, and only have to drive thirty minutes instead of the hour it would be coming from campus."

Orihime hummed, as she raised an eyebrow. "I wonder why she'd want to come home so much. I just talked to her on the phone yesterday, and she makes it sound like she wants to leave Karakura Town for good."

"Something about training someone-"

"Who?" Orihime interrupted quickly. Racking her brain to try to remember if Akira mentioned or hinted at it, but couldn't think of it. Let alone anyone Akira would want to train.

"Beats me," Tatsuki replied, having not noticed Orihime's quick question. "Obviously Rin is still training Akira. But Akira's getting to a point where she's able to take what she's learned from Rin, and transfer it to someone else."

It was quiet for a long moment, and finally Orihime shrugged. "Interesting. I'll have to ask her next time I see her."

"When will that be?" Tatsuki questioned, a growing smirk on her face. "I thought you were so busy that you didn't know how to balance."

"Ha ha," Orihime shot back sarcastically, a smirk of her own on her face. "I can still have somewhat of a social life. On the rare occasions that I'm not doing my daily life things, Mina and I might make our way around to see our friends."

Tatsuki was quiet for a moment. "You mean make your way around to see her godmother right?"

It was quiet as Orihime stopped to look at Tatsuki, and finally the two cracked up laughing. Orihime holding a big smile on her face. "Oh, I've missed you. You aren't allowed to leave for three weeks to travel ever again."

Laughing, Tatsuki slung her arm around her friend's shoulders. "I've missed you too."

 **Later that evening**

"I never want to train again."

Smiling after Ichigo said that, Orihime placed the vegetables she just grabbed into the grocery cart. "You don't mean that. You love it."

"Okay yeah, I don't mean it," Ichigo agreed, his hand moved to his arm where there was a bandage that went from his shoulder to midway down his forearm. "But this hurt. I don't even remember exactly how it happened."

Gently resting her hand down on his arm, Orihime frowned as she looked from his arm to his eyes. "Are you sure you don't want to go to the hospital?"

"I'll be fine. At least that's what my dad told me," Ichigo said, then he scowled. "The burn just hurts a lot. I'll feel better once we go and pick up my prescription."

"I hope it heals quickly, we have so much to do in the next few weeks, and I don't want you to be in any pain." Orihime replied, her eyes going to Mina who made a noise from where she was asleep in her carrier that was perched on the grocery cart.

"That's right. We have a lot of things going on, don't we?"

"Yeah, we are just getting into training, and I have a feeling it'll get more intense as days go by," Orihime said, pushing the cart down another aisle. "Along with the many other things on our to do list, our big thing is Kira and Ryuu's wedding at the end of the month."

"Right," Ichigo said, with a nod of his head. "I forgot about that. Their honeymoon is in Silvermist right?"

"Yes and I'm so jealous. I miss that place so much."

Ichigo nodded in agreement, as he reached up to pull down a box of Orihime's favorite pop-tarts for her. "How are they going to manage being away from Hiroko for so long?"

"Well they are only going to be away from him for four full days. He's going to be staying with Ryuu's parents. Kira and Ryuu know that Hiroko will be okay with them, as he has already spent a night or two with them already," Orihime said, her eyes once again going back to Mina. "Although I agree, it's hard to be away from Mina for a few hours. I don't know if I could manage a whole day."

Ichigo watched Orihime as they walked down the rest of the aisle. "When do you think we should get married?"

"Hmmm..." Orihime hummed, thinking about the idea of her and Ichigo marrying each other brought a smile to her face. "I've been thinking about that, and I don't think this year is going to happen. I'm looking into dates for next year. I just haven't had anytime to really sit down and plan anything, so I think having it sometime next year would give me time to plan."

"Well just tell me when you want to plan, and we can sit down and talk about it."

"As soon as I have time to figure out a time to plan, I'll let you know," Orihime replied, laughing along with Ichigo. Her laughter slowed, as her mind went somewhere else. "Can we get donuts on the way home from picking up your prescription?"

Raising an eyebrow at her question, Ichigo smirked. "Aren't we supposed to be trying to eat healthy?"

"Yes, but donuts are an exception." Orihime shot back with a firm nod.

Laughing at her serious look, Ichigo leaned over and kissed her. "I'll put that on the list of our other exceptions. Funnel cakes, pop-tarts, and smoothies from Alona's."

Kissing him this time, Orihime smiled when their kiss broke. "I love you."

 **The next day, July 5th**

"Damn," Yoruichi spoke up after the smoke cleared around them. A smirk on her face, as her eyes settled on Orihime. "I've seen you used that power of yours several times since we started our training, and I still am amazed at how strong it is."

"Thanks." Orihime said, trying to catch her breath, as she changed to her shinigami form. She was able to do it by herself now, after needing assistance from Yoruichi the last few times. Looking down, she mirrored the traditional shinigami clothing, and her body lay flat on the ground in front of her. Observing her face, she frowned. "The bags under my eyes are horrendous."

"Being a new mom does that to you," Yoruichi replied, then she moved to sit down. "Now I think we should start with some meditation, and hopefully you'll be able to get your zanpakuto this time around."

Joining Yoruichi on the ground, Orihime took in a deep breath and released it. "I hope so. We need to get started with my shinigami training as soon as possible."

"What's the hurry?" Yoruichi asked, a smirk on her face. "Got a top secret mission I don't know about?"

Freezing up Orihime's eyes widened at the question. _Just the fact that I'm looking into Aizen being alive which you all are keeping a secret from me._ She had to force herself to smooth out her features, and put a smile on her face. "Nope, just eager to learn."

Having not noticed Orihime's strange look, Yoruichi nodded and started talking about what she wanted Orihime to do.

Orihime's mind went from focusing on Yoruichi to her itch to find some new information on if Aizen is really alive or if she was just being paranoid. _Maybe I can find sometime to do some digging later after training. Or during a break or something..._

 **Later that day**

Trekking up the stairs to reach Urahara's shop, Orihime had to catch her breath when she reached the top. She had been in one of the training spaces they had for the past five hours, and she was finally finished for the day. She did get her zanpakuto finally. It took an almost three hour long stand off on whether or not she was even worth enough to wield a butter knife let alone a zanpakuto. She spent the other two hours running getting a few lessons on wielding the zanpakuto, and she felt as if all her muscles were on fire.

"Okay," Yourichi's voice was heard, as she came up the stairs behind Orihime. Her phone in hand. "Urahara wants me to meet him out back for something. I'll be back in a minute, then we can wrap up for the day if that is alright."

"That's great actually," Orihime started, sipping her water. "It'll give me a chance to catch my breath."

Yoruichi nodded, then moved to go out back. "Alright, I'll be back in a few minutes."

After Yoruichi stepped outside, Orihime's eyes swept the room. Stopping her focus on the table, she frowned at it's clean surface. _So they moved all of those papers and files somewhere else. Where exactly-_ She stopped when her eyes went to a small bookshelf in the room. It was mostly fully of books, but on top lay a file with a lot of papers in it. Against the side of her that told her snooping was not a good idea, she walked over, and touched the top of the file. She glanced around the room, then to the door that led to the back of the shop. Waiting a few seconds, she took a deep breath, and opened the file.

Most of the stuff she flipped through didn't seem to hold anything useful. It wasn't until she got to the back that she noticed the same paper that she looked at the other day. Pulling her phone out, she just barely snapped a pic of the full page, before the back door opened. Quickly stepping away, she locked her phone, and took a sip of water. Yourichi hadn't been looking her way, so she figured she was safe this time.

"Sorry about that Orihime," Yoruichi started, closing the door, then walking over. She put a smile on her face, as she crossed her arms. "That session went pretty well. I'm proud of you for getting your zanpakuto on the first day you attempted to obtain it. We've got to see some from your shinigami abilities, as well as some of what your non-shinigami abilities can do. I'm really excited to keep on working. I think this training is going well."

"Well you've been a great teacher-" Orihime stopped when her phone started buzzing. Seeing it was Ichigo, she offered a smile to Yourichi. "I have to take this. I guess I'll see you the day after tomorrow."

Yoruichi gave a wave, as she sat down at the table. "Sounds great."

Walking outside, Orihime brought her phone up to her ear after answering the call. "Hey, what's up?"

Ichigo: I was just checking to see how it was going. I feel like I haven't seen you in forever.

Orihime smiled, knowing that he missed her. "It's only been seven- I mean nine hours. Just think of how much bonding you and Mina got to have."

Ichigo: (laughing) Well she slept a lot of the time, so I bonded more with Bingo. Which reminds me that we've decided that if he gets fully potty trained he would really like to sleep on our bed rather than in the laundry room.

Orihime: Good to know. I guess that also means that Mina won't be sleeping tonight.

Ichigo: (laughing) Probably not. When are you coming home? I'm making lasagna.

Orihime: That sounds good right now. I feel like I haven't ate all day. Uh, as for when I'm coming home, we just finished up training. I'm probably going to cool down for a bit, then I'll get going. I should be home in forty minutes or so.

Ichigo: Alright, dinner should be ready for you when you get home.

Orihime smiled at that, as she stopped by her car. "Thank you Ichigo. I love you."

Ichigo: Love you too.

Hanging up the phone, Orihime unlocked her car, and got in. But paused before cranking it up to look in her phone. Pulling up the picture she took, her eyes scanned the picture quickly. It appeared to be in a style that would be used for meeting notes. Some lines were full sentences, and others just a few words. From what she gathered they were discussing Aizen, and potential whereabouts. _So that means he's alive? Like really alive?_ Continuing on reading, her eyes widened at the last line on the page.

" _We've spotted Aizen on multiple occasions. It appears he's gone into hiding. We're hoping to follow some leads to see if we can find him again."_

"He's still alive. Really alive," Orihime mumbled, letting her head lean back against the head rest, she groaned. "You've got to be freaking kidding me."

 **Back at the house**

 _Ichigo just admit it. You are wishing I was there to help you out._

Ichigo scoffed hearing that, a smirk on his face as his eyes went to the screen of his computer. "Karin I'll have you know that I can handle my daughter and my dog just fine."

 _Karin: Right so you video chatted me to what? Ask me about the weather?_

"Actually, I video chatted you to ask how work was..." Ichigo trailed off, then glanced back at the stove. His eyes returned back to the computer. "And I just wanted to know if you happened to remember how long lasagna should be in the oven for?"

 _Karin: (laughing) I knew it! Let me guess, you didn't ask Orihime because you didn't want her to think you're completely useless in the kitchen. You didn't ask dad or Yuzu because you don't want them worrying about you. And you asked me-_

"Because out of everyone, I figured you wouldn't judge me," Ichigo interrupted, rolling his eyes at Karin's laughter. "Clearly I was wrong."

 _Karin: I'm not going to judge you, I'm just going to make fun of you for a bit._

"Just tell me how long. You can make fun of me later." Ichigo replied, a sulking look on his face.

 _Karin: About an hour and forty minutes if that is like the recipe Yuzu uses. If it is from the store, the directions are on the box._

"It's Yuzu's recipe," Ichigo said, his eyes going to the stove. The time was almost up. "And it looks like I ended up being right. I put it on for 1 hour and forty-five minutes, but there is nothing wrong with a little crisp on the top."

 _Karin: Wow, I'm really proud of you Ichigo._

Glaring back at the computer screen, Ichigo reached forward to it. "Goodbye Karin."

 _Karin: You're welcome Ichigo._

Turning off the video chat just as the timer on the oven went off. Ichigo quickly set the phone down, grabbed an oven mitt, and pulled the lasagna out of the oven. Having to do that, while balancing Mina in his other arm, and trying to keep her away from the heat of the oven. Kicking the oven door closed, just as Bingo started barking at something that was outside. Sighing heavily, Ichigo put the lasagna on the stove top to cool, and moved to set Mina down in her rocker sleeper. "Please don't wake up. I just need to go take Bingo out for a few minutes, and then I'll be right back to hang out with you for a bit."

After managing to settle Mina down in her rocker sleeper, Ichigo turned to scoop up his barking dog, and moved to the back door. However, he stopped after he opened it. His eyes meeting turquoise ones that belonged to Toshiro Hitsugaya. Bingo wiggled out of his hands, and trotted over to the visitor. "I was wondering what he was barking at. I guess he doesn't really need to go outside, he just needed to see who was on the back porch."

"Mind if I come in?" Toshiro asked, having watched the puppy running around his feet.

"Yeah sure," Ichigo replied, turning to go back inside after he whistled for Bingo to come in first. Walking back over to the stove, he put a timer on to allow the lasagna to cool for fifteen minutes. "Orihime's not here. She's-"

"Training, I know," Toshiro interrupted, stopping to stand next to the refrigerator. His eyes scanning the kitchen from the lasagna, to Mina, then to Ichigo's open laptop that was across the kitchen from them. "I wanted to talk to you about something. This is something we're not supposed to tell you, but I figured you should probably know."

Raising an eyebrow at Toshiro's words, Ichigo crossed his arms, and leaned back against the counter. Unsure of what exactly Toshiro could be talking about. "What is it?"

Toshiro's eyes met Ichigo's, and he sighed heavily. "Aizen's still alive."

* * *

 **A/N: So it's confirmed for both Orihime and Ichigo that Aizen is indeed very much alive. While Orihime found it out on her own, Ichigo had Toshiro telling him. Why do you think Toshiro would go against what the others want and tell Ichigo the truth? Why didn't he go to Orihime?**

 **My favorite scene of the chapter was the scene with Orihime and Tatsuki. What was yours?**

 **Don't forget to review, favorite, and share this story with others. Also be sure to check out my other stories.**

 **Be sure to like my page (Ruby1235 Fanfiction) on Facebook and follow me on twitter ( Ruby1235Fanfic) for updates, sneak peeks, and hints for current and new stories :)**

 **Also be sure to check out my blog: ruby1235fanfiction. blogspot .com (no spaces)**


	4. I Want To Be Strong

_Review:_

" _I wanted to talk to you about something. This is something we're not supposed to tell you, but I figured you should probably know."_

 _Raising an eyebrow at Toshiro's words, Ichigo crossed his arms, and leaned back against the counter. Unsure of what exactly Toshiro could be talking about. "What is it?"_

 _Toshiro's eyes met Ichigo's, and he sighed heavily. "Aizen's still alive."_

* * *

 **A few days later, July 8th**

"Is this even going to work?" Orihime questioned allowed, as she finished making the lunch she had been preparing for Ichigo. Her eyes moved to Mina, who was in her rocker sleeper, and was staring up at Orihime with big eyes.

It was Ichigo's day to train, so Orihime had spent most of her morning trying to finish up some housework and entertain Mina and Bingo as well. On top of that, she had been contemplating her lack of information gathering on Aizen. She hadn't been able to get anymore information, but she did have one clue. On a break from her own training yesterday led her to exploring Urahara's a little bit. She came across a room that held several file cabinets, and she had skimmed some of them yesterday. But couldn't get through them all without risking someone catching her.

"So that's what I'm going to do today," Orihime started, kneeling down next to Mina. Bingo shot right over to get some attention from her now that she was closer to his level. "Since you're daddy said he was going to skip lunch, I'm going to go bring him something to eat. While I'm there, I might just let you and Bingo do some distracting, and go see what I can dig up. So Bingo… Do you want to go for a ride?"

Bingo's little barks filled the air, as his tail wagged furiously. One of the only things he can understand so far is what going for a ride meant.

"Alright, let's go get your collar and leash, then we'll go be super secret spies together." Orihime said, straightening up to go get her things together. Her mind racing with ways this could go completely wrong, but another part of her craved answers to her questions. That part was winning.

Almost thirty-five minutes later, she was getting out of the car in front of Urahara's. Picking up Mina's carrier, she smiled down at her daughter as they headed to the front doors. "Alright, you're going to have to be extra cute and precious to help distract your daddy and the others… Not that it will be hard for you at all or anything."

Walking through the first set of double doors, she went through the second to find Ichigo, Rukia, Renji, and Urahara sitting around the round table. Ichigo's eyes went right to Orihime the second they walked in. "What are you-" Bingo's barking interrupted him, as he charged right in his direction.

Orihime let go of the leash in order to give Bingo the freedom to go all the way to Ichigo, and she smiled at the puppy licking Ichigo's face. "Well you told me that you are skipping lunch, which was not a smart idea. So I brought you something to eat."

Laughing at how Orihime put that, Ichigo accepted the bag she handed over, then he reached for Mina's carrier to see her for a bit. "Well that was very nice of you. You didn't have to do that."

"I know, I just didn't want you to starve. Plus you get in a mood when you don't eat," Orihime replied, smiling as that made the others laugh, her eyes moved over to them. "So it's just you three today?"

"Yeah, Renji and I were recruited to help whip Ichigo's butt back into shape." Rukia said, a grin on her face at Ichigo's eye roll and Renji's laughter.

"The others are in the Soul Society." Urahara added from where he was drinking tea. His eyes were more focused on the little ball of energy running around the table. Bingo had found his way over to the others, and was sniffing and running around them.

Seeing that the others were distracted by Bingo and Ichigo by Mina, Orihime knew this was her chance. "I'm going to use the bathroom real quick, then Mina, Bingo, and I will be on our way."

"Take your time." Ichigo shot back, his eyes remaining focused down on Mina.

Starting down the back hall, Orihime passed the bathroom, and snuck into the file room. She turned on a timer to let her know just how long she could take without it being suspicious that she was gone. Flipping on a light switch, she eyed the room. The room itself was fairly small. Just big enough for four file cabinets, and a book shelf. Yesterday, she determined the two drawers to the left of the room were not going to be any use to her. They were just basic files on the shinigami that came through this town. She was fairly certain the third one was mostly old assignment reports, and she hadn't yet looked at the fourth one.

Heading over to the fourth, she began her search. Skimming quickly through the files. She found the files to be dated similar to the assignment ones in the third cabinet. Except these were more recent and had taken place within the past year. It wasn't until she got down to the bottom drawer that the most recent file caught her eye. Recognizing Aizen's name right off the bat, she pulled her phone out and took pictures of each of the pages.

The buzzing of her phone alerted her to the alarm was off, and she needed to finish up. Quickly putting everything back in order, she turned the light off and left the room quickly. Taking a deep breath, she put a smile on her face as she walked back into the main room. Rounding up Bingo easily, then her eyes went to Ichigo who's focus was solely on Mina. "Ichigo?"

"Fine," Ichigo said, sighing dramatically as he put Mina back in her carrier. Standing up, he kissed Orihime, then handed over Mina. "Thank you for bringing me lunch. I'll see you at home."

"You're welcome… Have fun with the rest of your training," Orihime replied with a smile and a wave to the others, then she left. It wasn't until she finished putting Mina and Bingo in the car, then got in herself, that she finally paused. Taking in a deep breath, then she laughed. "I can't believe that worked out so well."

 **A little over a half hour later**

The thirty minute drive went by quickly, as Orihime really just wanted to get home. Once there she fed Mina and put her down in her crib for a nap. Watching her daughter sleep for a moment, she finally turned to scoop up Bingo and leave the room. The usually energetic puppy seemed to be ready to sleep for days. Sighing at the sight of the droopy eyes of Bingo, Orihime put a smile on her face. "You and Mina are scheming. You both sleep during the day so that way you can stay up all night, and keep your mom and dad up all night too."

Once downstairs Orihime grabbed her laptop on the way to the office. Settling down in one of the desks, she turned on the desktop computer, and connected her phone to it. Pulling up the pictures that she took today, she began to read through them. Taking notes on her laptop as she read.

The first thing she noticed is that the file itself was dated June 4th. _So they've known about this since the day of mine and Ichigo's graduation party. They've known that Aizen was alive._ She kept on reading, and got to a page that had arrancars with a big X drawn over the word. Then Aizen's name was on the next line the paper, and his name was circled. A line moved from Aizen to the right, but the picture appeared to have got cut off. She skipped to the next photo, and raised an eyebrow at where the line lead. _Mystery woman? What does that even mean?_ Reading through the rest of the notes, she frowned at her findings. _So Aizen's still alive, but it doesn't seem like the arrancars are. From what they've said in their notes, there has been this mystery woman hanging around Aizen on the occasions that they have spotted him._ _Then Aizen and the mystery woman disappeared, and they haven't been able to spot them again… So maybe if I go back and look through these notes of there's and the locations, maybe I can work something out._

After that thought, Orihime's eyes moved down to her lap where a sleeping Bingo lay. Softly stroking his head, she watched him for a long moment, then sighed and focused back on the computers. Making sure there was no trace of the pictures on the desktop computer as that was one she shared with Ichigo, she shut down both the desktop and her laptop, then moved to get up. Bingo stirred slightly, and she just cradled him closer to her. "Don't get all excited Bingo. I think I'm going to hold off on this investigation, and I'm going to go take a nap until Mina wakes up. But good news is that you and I get the bed all to ourselves."

 **Back at Urahara's, later that day**

"Who told you?" Urahara questioned, an eyebrow raised as he watched Ichigo gathering his things for the day.

"What?" Ichigo countered, finishing getting his stuff, as he and Urahara walked up the stairs. When they reached the main room of the place, he turned to face Urahara again. "You don't think I could figure it out on my own?"

Urahara didn't reply, and just crossed his arms over his chest.

At the silence, Ichigo finally sighed heavily. "Toshiro did- But that is not the point."

"Did he tell Orihime?" Rukia questioned, having walked up the stairs with Renji after the other two.

Shaking his head, Ichigo hummed at the thought. "No he only told me."

"Are you sure about that?" Renji questioned, an eyebrow raised.

"Orihime would have told me if she knew about this-"

"Kinda like how you're telling her that you know about it?" Rukia interrupted, shaking her head at Ichigo's glare. "Just saying."

"Rukia, the only thing I want is to protect her and Mina. If not telling her something that would only just stress her out and make her life harder is what I have to do, then I'll do it," Ichigo replied, then his eyes moved back to Urahara. "Who else knows?"

"Well us, Toshiro, Rangiku, your father-"

"My father knows?!" Ichigo interrupted Urahara, his eyes wide.

Urahara raised a hand at Ichigo's alarm. "To be fair, the way you feel about protecting your daughter is the same way he feels about protecting you, his son."

Grumbling lowly, Ichigo rubbed his temple. "I guess."

"Rin knows too," Rukia added after a moment. "She really feels bad about keeping it from Orihime, but she just wants to protect her."

"Ichigo, now that you are fully aware of the situation, it is up to you on if we include Orihime or not," Urahara started before Ichigo could speak. "During her pregnancy, stuff like this seemed to stress her out a lot, and that was our initial concern when we were first found ourselves. With her and Mina being Aizen's potential target, we were thinking it was best to keep her away from the situation."

Nodding after a moment, Ichigo slipped the strap of his bag on his shoulder. "I guess we're doing the right thing… I'll see you guys in a couple days."

"We have a meeting tomorrow actually. Very brief," Urahara said, stopping Ichigo from walking out. "It'll be in the morning before Orihime's training starts. So you could make up some excuse to get yourself here."

"I'll be there." Ichigo replied, then he left the shop. Once outside he got to his car and stopped before he could crank the engine. _I just don't know if I feel right about this. Keeping this secret from Orihime. She's Mina's mother so she should know when it comes to something that could lead to Mina's safety being at risk. But, at the same time, Orihime herself is at risk to. Aizen wants her just as much as he wants Mina… Plus Orihime gets so stressed and anxious that I don't want to worry her if there isn't necessarily something to worry about… I guess keeping this a secret is the right thing to do right now… I think._

 **Later that evening**

Finishing up the last bite of dinner, Orihime picked up her wine glass to take a sip. After having made sure she had enough milk pumped to take care of Mina for the next couple days, she decided a glass of wine would be a nice way to end the evening. Her eyes went to Ichigo across the table, where he was feeding Mina her bottle, as he had already finished dinner. It had been rather quiet as they ate, as Orihime's mind had been focused on her information she gathered today about Aizen. She had been debating on whether or not Ichigo knew about it. She had a strong suspicion that he did know, but the mental war going on in her head had her second guessing.

"I'm probably going to go and take Bingo out again," Orihime said, as she moved to stand up from the table. "Then Mina needs a bath and I will hopefully get one later if it's not too late."

"Don't worry about Bingo and Mina," Ichigo said hurriedly, as he met her eyes. "After Mina finishes her bottle I will take Bingo out. Then I'll do the dishes and give Mina her bath. You go ahead upstairs, and take your time. I can keep an eye on Mina and Bingo for the rest of the night."

Raising an eyebrow at Ichigo's hurried offer, Orihime put a smile on her face. "Do you have something to tell me? It feels like you're trying to butter me up."

Ichigo scoffed at that, a smirk on his face. "No, I just want to do something nice for you. You do so much, and I feel like you deserve to have a nice relaxing bath."

Moving over to Ichigo's side of the table, Orihime leaned over and kissed him. "Thank you." She told him, then looked down to Mina, who's big eyes seemed to follow her movement. Smiling down at her daughter once last time, Orihime turned to go upstairs after grabbing her wine glass. Once in her and Ichigo's bathroom she turns on the bath water, then turned to look at herself in the mirror. For some reason she felt like she saw guilt in Ichigo's eyes during dinner when she had talked about his day. She had learned to pick up on that particular look when she was still pregnant, and he gave to her a lot. Shaking off that thought, she scoffed in annoyance, and started taking off her clothes. _I don't want to be the damsel in distress. I did that throughout high school, and it's brought me no where. I want to be strong for my daughter. I want to be strong for myself._

 **A few days later, July 11th**

"It's nice to meet you Kei," Orihime said, a big smile on her face as she shook hands with the older blonde haired guy. They were over at Ichigo's dad's house to drop Mina off. "I don't know why Rin took so long to introduce us."

"Beats me, probably because she's embarrassed that I'm a lot cooler than she is," Kei replied, a grin on his face as Rin had reached over and slapped his shoulder. "I'm just kidding."

"Uh huh," Rin said, shaking her head and rolling her eyes at Kei's laughter. Her eyes moved to Orihime, as she smirked. "I'm sorry that it took so long for me to introduce my boyfriend to you. But, to be fair, I didn't know if it'd be weird or not."

"Rin, it's been almost five years since my brother died. You have to move on eventually," Orihime replied, a grin on her face as she looked to Kei. "Plus you get bonus points, because this guy is pretty funny."

The sound of giggling was heard from down the hall in the study, then both Mai and Hikari walked into the living room. Hikari held a grin on his face. "Emi practically jumped out of my arms to go see Karin."

"It seems that Raya has taken a liking to Karin as well." Mai added, her eyes on Rin.

"I noticed that too," Rin said, a smile on her face at the thought. "I didn't know Karin was so good with kids."

"She's babysat for me a few times now, and I want her to be our permanent babysitter. She's amazing with Emi."

"It's pretty unexpected," Ichigo spoke up, as he walked in from the kitchen. "I mean she's good with Mina too. It's just that growing up, she was never one to interact with little kids at all. Then all of a sudden, these past few months, it's like every kid she meets there is some magic connection."

"Not to change the subject from the magical babysitter, but we should probably go if we're going to catch our reservation for dinner." Hikari spoke up, having been looking at his watch.

Orihime nodded as she grabbed her purse. "Okay, I'm just going to go say goodbye to Mina one last time-"

"Orihime," Ichigo interrupted her, smiling as he had grabbed her hand. "You've already said goodbye to her three times, and she's sleeping. She'll be here when we get back… Hopefully."

"Ichigo!" Orihime said, slapping his shoulder, and rolling her eyes at his and the others laughter. But she finally gave in a chuckled herself. "Goodbye Karin!"

"Bye!" Karin called back. Followed by whispering, then the goodbyes of Raya and a much softer Emi was heard.

 **An hour later at dinner**

"Orihime, I don't think you've called Karin enough times."

Laughing at Mai's words, Hikari's moved his hand to rest on the back of her chair. "Yeah and I don't think Ichigo has checked his text messages enough either. Every minute isn't enough."

While that had the others laughing, Ichigo shrugged his shoulders and turned his phone over. "Maybe I'm checking social media."

"Do you even know how to use any social media?" Rin questioned, a smirk on her face at Ichigo's silence. "Right, you don't do social media."

"You two are just a teeny bit over-protective," Kei added, a grin on his face. "You both need to check on Mina every two minutes for the rest of her life."

"I wish we could do that," Orihime replied, not bothered by how much she checked on if Mina was okay. "Once she becomes a teenager and realizes that she hates us, we might get lucky enough to make sure she is okay once every two months."

Ichigo nodded in agreement with Orihime. "We don't mean to be so obsessive with checking on her, but we just need to know that she's okay. Orihime already has anxiety, but the separation anxiety got stronger once Mina was born."

"We've been gone barely an hour," Rin said, but she finally smiled and patted Orihime's hand. "But it's alright. You two are still fairly new at this parenting thing. You'll get used to it."

"Right." Orihime said, putting her phone down on her lap, as she tried to ignore the urge to call Karin again. However, she barely lasted a full thirty seconds before she moved to stand up from the table with her phone. "I'm just going to call one last time."

 **Outside**

Ending the call with Karin, Orihime released a long breath, and smiled. Hearing that Mina was okay without her made her feel a lot better.

"You know we're just teasing," Rin's voice hit Orihime's ears, before the older woman appeared beside Orihime. "Like I said, we were in your shoes. Well my Kei wasn't, but he was still just joking around like the rest of us."

"I know that you all were joking. I also know that I can be a bit crazy sometimes," Orihime said, moving to rub her back a bit. "Training is killing me. My back has been hurting for days."

"Yeah, I put Akira through some strenuous training over the past couple weeks to make up for the time she missed while she was traveling. She hasn't been too happy with me," Rin said, laughing and shaking her head. "But I have to be harder on her to keep on challenging her. She's busy with becoming a teacher herself, and when college comes around she'll be even more busy."

"Yeah I bet. I'm surprised she's teaching someone," Orihime started, as she chuckled. "I just didn't think she had the patience to teach."

Rin shrugged and hummed lowly at that. "Well Karin's a good student, so-"

"I'm sorry, what?" Orihime interrupted sharply, her eyes widening. "Karin, as in, Karin Kurosaki? The person babysitting our children right now?"

Not sure why Orihime was acting so surprised, Rin nodded slowly. "Yeah, you didn't know?" She asked, and when Orihime shook her head, she frowned. "Well Akira did say they were keeping the training on the down low. I just thought she'd at least tell her family."

"How long has this been going on?"

"Less than a week I think."

Orihime was quiet for a long moment, a frown still on her face. "I didn't even know she had powers."

"She does indeed," Rin said, a small smirk on her face. "I sat in on one of her training sessions, and she's got me impressed. She's new and she already has a lot of potential. I've trained a lot of people over the years, and she's the most advanced-"

"Wait she's not a shinigami? She's like you?" Orihime interrupted, once again finding herself shocked.

Nodding at Orihime's obvious shock, Rin reached over to rest a hand on her shoulder. "Orihime relax, she probably just hasn't told anyone yet. She found out over her music program that her powers are like mine and Akira's. From what I heard, Yuzu doesn't want anything to do with training, and I figure it is best not to press her now."

Falling into silence, Orihime's mind felt like it was buzzing. _Karin and Yuzu have powers like Rin and Akira. But Ichigo doesn't have those powers. Isshin's a shinigami and Ichigo's mother was a quincy… Where did Karin and Yuzu get those powers from?_

"Want to go back in now? I'm sure our food is here by now."

Rin's voice snapped Orihime out of her thoughts, and she put a smile on her face. "Yeah, I'm starving."

 **That night**

"Thank you for watching them." Rin said as she picked her sleeping daughter up from the couch.

"No problem, we had all sorts of fun," Karin replied, smiling as she had been bouncing Mina a bit in her arms. "Apparently Finding Dory puts kids to sleep these days. She and Emi were out by the end of the movie."

"We'll have to start using this method to get Emi to sleep at night then." Hikari said, a smirk on his face in Mai's direction, as she held their sleeping toddler.

Karin's eyes moved to Orihime and Ichigo, as she moved to put Mina in her carrier for them. "As for Mina, I've tried my best to keep her awake with the hope that by the time she gets home with you two, she'll go to sleep."

"Let's all cross our fingers," Ichigo said, grinning as he had put Bingo's leash on. "We're convinced that Mina and Bingo sleep all day in order to keep us up all night."

"Maybe that's what I tell them to do." Karin joked back, sticking out her tongue at Ichigo, and laughing when he did it back.

As Mai, Hikari, Rin, and Kei trailed out of the house with Raya and Emi, Ichigo had gone along with them to go ahead and settle Bingo and Mina in the car. Orihime stayed behind, as her eyes were on Karin. Her mind going back to what Rin had told her at dinner. _Should I say something?_ "So where is Yuzu? Did she hang out with you and the kids?"

"Tch no," Karin shot back, a scowl on her face. "She's been in her room all day. Listening to music and ignoring me everytime I go to check on her."

Offering a smile Karin's way, Orihime shrugged. "Maybe she's just going through a phase."

"This phase has been going on for weeks, and I want her back to normal ASAP," Karin replied, looking down at her phone that buzzed, then back to Orihime. "I'm kind of worn out after the day I've had. I've been so busy. I think I'm going to go upstairs and shower and go to sleep."

"Well, I hope you sleep good." Orihime said, smiling at Karin, then turning to leave. With her hand on the door, she paused. The urge to confront Karin about what she heard from Rin today came back. But, after taking a deep breath, the urge lessened, and Orihime left the house. _Today has certainly been an interesting day._

* * *

 **A/N: So Orihime did a little more secret spy work in this chapter. It seems that she is in a place where she doesn't want to be protected, but included in everything that is going on. While Ichigo just wants to protect her and Mina because he loves them so much. Then this mention of Karin having powers… If you're reading the spin-off series, then there is more about Karin's powers there. My favorite scene was the opening scene, what was yours?**

 **Don't forget to review, favorite, and share this story with others. Also be sure to check out my other stories.**

 **Be sure to like my page (Ruby1235 Fanfiction) on Facebook and follow me on twitter ( Ruby1235Fanfic) for updates, sneak peeks, and hints for current and new stories :)**

 **Also be sure to check out my blog: ruby1235fanfiction. blogspot .com (no spaces)**


	5. A Weekend Away

_Review:_

" _This phase has been going on for weeks, and I want her back to normal ASAP," Karin replied, looking down at her phone that buzzed, then back to Orihime. "I'm kind of worn out after the day I've had. I've been so busy. I think I'm going to go upstairs and shower and go to sleep."_

" _Well, I hope you sleep good." Orihime said, smiling at Karin, then turning to leave. With her hand on the door she paused. The urge to confront Karin about what she heard from Rin today came back. But, after taking a deep breath, the urge lessened, and Orihime left the house. Today has certainly been an interesting day._

* * *

 **A week and a half later, July 22nd**

"Would you two relax? We have it under control-"

"Karin you've only watched Mina and Bingo for barely half a day before, this is a whole weekend-"

"Ichigo, it'll be fine," Karin interrupted her brother, as she was currently having Bingo chase after a ball she kept throwing across the living room. "I've got the next two days off of work, and I've only got to work the morning shift on Sunday."

"Which Mina and Bingo will be spending the morning lazying around the house with me Sunday morning," Isshin added after Karin stopped speaking. "Plus I will be here with Karin when I'm not working, so you have nothing to worry about."

"That's easier said than done," Orihime's voice entered the conversation, as she walked in from the hall. Having been using one of the guest bedrooms to nurse Mina in. "She just finished nursing, and shouldn't be hungry for another few hours. I brought over enough pumped milk to last the weekend, but if for some reason you get low, we have-"

"More in the freezer at your house," Karin interrupted, a smirk growing on her face as that had Ichigo glaring at her. "We already went over everything last night, again this morning, and once again when you two first came over here an hour ago. I have everything written down, and I think the three verbal conversations have stuck pretty well."

It was quiet for a moment, then Orihime looked to Ichigo. "I guess we should probably get going then if we're going to make it on time."

Ichigo nodded as he walked over to look over Mina one last time. His eyes remained on her as he spoke to his dad and Karin. "And don't forget Bingo-"

"Okay," Karin interrupted, walking right over and taking Mina from Orihime's arms. "I'm going to make this easier for you two. Mina, Bingo, and I are going to take a trip out to the back porch. Meanwhile, dad is going to kick you two out of the house."

"I wouldn't say it like that," Isshin replied, a grin on his face as Karin walked to the back porch. Whistling for Bingo to follow her and Mina outside. His eyes went to his son and Orihime to see them watching Karin walk away. "Alright you two need to hit the road so you can get there before it gets dark."

"We'll call as soon as we get there," Ichigo replied, before he and Orihime finally made their way out the front door. Once outside, his eyes went to Orihime. "I feel like we prepared ourselves better for this weekend."

"It's not that we're not prepared. We've been talking about Kira and Ryuu's wedding weekend for weeks," Orihime said, opening up the passenger side door to get in the car. "We just don't want to say goodbye to Mina and Bingo."

"I think once we get on the road and actually meet up with everyone, it'll be a little easier." Ichigo offered as he got in the driver's side.

"Really?"

Looking over to see Orihime's raised eyebrow, Ichigo finally broke out laughing. "No, not at all, but it might help distract us a little. We're going to need all the distractions we can get."

 **Around 4 hours later**

Ichigo's eyes opened with caution, expecting bright sunlight, but he got the much softer rays of the setting sun. Shifting so he was laying on his back, he yawned. They arrived at their hotel nearly an hour ago, and he and Orihime had said they wanted to test out the bed. Sure enough, within a couple minutes of laying down, they drifted off to sleep. Their hotel was not far from the place they stayed at for Orihime's birthday, and was off the beach.

Picking his phone up from the bedside table, Ichigo found a few messages from Karin.

 _Karin: As promised, I have got some updates for you and Orihime since I know you two will do nothing but think about Mina the entire time you're gone._

Following Karin's message were a few pictures. Each of Mina asleep in her crib, and Bingo stretched out on the floor beside her crib. Chuckling at the sight, Ichigo was quick to text back to thank his sister for the update.

The sound of Orihime's phone ringing disrupted the quiet in the room. It had Orihime jump awake, as she quickly reached over to grab the phone. Seeing it was Kira, she answered quickly. "Hello?"

 _Kira: Hey, did you and Ichigo make it up here yet?_

Trying to pull herself out of her sleep fogged mind, Orihime nodded numbly, as she eyed the clock. "Yeah, about an hour ago. Ichigo and I must have fell asleep."

 _Kira: Oh, I know how that is. I took the longest nap today, and it was so blissful not being woke up for a change. Not that I don't love my Hiroko, but- well you know how it is._

 _Orihime: (chuckling) Yeah I do._

 _Kira: Well I just wanted to call to see where you two are at. We're about to meet up for dinner in thirty minutes._

 _Orihime: Okay, we'll be ready… Unless we fall asleep again, in which case, you may never see us this entire weekend._

 _Kira: (laughing) See you in thirty._

 _Orihime: Bye._

With that said, Orihime hung up the phone, and saw some messages from Karin. Seeing what the younger girl sent had Orihime laughing.

"You saw Karin's pictures?"

Looking over to Ichigo, Orihime nodded as she sat up. "Bingo is so cute. He just has to be near Mina. I'm surprised he didn't just get in the crib with her."

"Don't put it past him. It'll happen eventually," Ichigo replied as he got up from the bed, and stretched his arms up. "That was Kira?"

"Yeah, she said we're meeting up for dinner in thirty minutes..." Orihime trailed off as she got up to go open her suitcase.

"That'll be eight o'clock," Ichigo said, an eyebrow raised at Orihime. "That's so late."

Laughing at that, Orihime grinned in his direction. "I know. Ha! We're such parents."

 **A little over half an hour later**

Orihime could hear the creak sound from the wood beneath her feet. She knew they had reached the part of the boardwalk that went off the ground, and stretched out several hundred feet across the beach and ocean. Holding up her camera, she was hoping to get a shot of the carnival rides in the distance, as they had finally turned their lights on as the sun was going down.

"Orihime!"

"Sorry!" Orihime called back, clicking a few more shots, then jogging a little to catch up with the others. She reached them just as they were walking into the restaurant they were eating at. Her eyes meeting Ichigo's. "I just wanted to get a-"

"Couple pictures, I know," Ichigo interrupted, a warm smile on his face as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I just don't want to lose you."

When they finally sat down at their table, Kira was the last to join them. Setting her phone down on the table, as her eyes went to Ryuu who had pulled her chair out for her. "That was your mother. She was just telling me she got Hiroko to sleep. Which to be honest, I feel like that's what I should be doing right now."

"Going to sleep?" Kimi asked, her smirk turned to a laugh when Kira nodded. "It's not even ten minutes past eight."

"I have to agree with Kira," Orihime said, her eyes trying to focus down on the menu. "If I can help it, I'm usually already in bed by now."

"We were actually just talking about that before we met up with you all." Ichigo added, opening his own menu after sharing a smile with Orihime.

"Well all of you parents need to get your game face on," Michi said, pointing in the direction of both sets of parents at the table. "We're going to have a lot of fun tonight, and you're all going to need to be awake and enjoying it."

Hayate laughed at his girlfriend's words. "Please. Do you know how often I come home from my evening class at 7:45 and you're already in your pajamas, in bed with our cat?"

Michi smiled back at Hayate, as she pinched his arm. "That hardly ever happens."

While that had made everyone laugh, Keitaro was the first to stop laughing. "So what are our plans for tomorrow?"

"It's actually going to pretty chill in the morning," Ryuu started, folding up his menu and setting it down on the table. "We'll relax the first half of tomorrow, then the rehearsal dinner starts at six. Then after that we'll split our separate ways for the bachelor and bachelorette parties."

"You better not get into any trouble," Kira spoke as soon as Ryuu finished speaking. "Our wedding is the next day, and if I have to come and bail you out of jail-"

"Excuse me," Ryuu interrupted, a big grin on his face. "If anyone is going to end up getting arrested it will be you. Remember back in high school when you got arrested for breaking into an amusement park?"

Ichigo started laughing before Kira could say anything. His eyes were focused on Orihime. "You know, I don't think you have to worry Ryuu. Kira will be with Orihime, and she has all sorts of experience breaking laws and getting away with it."

"Really?" Kimi questioned, an eyebrow raised at Orihime. "You?"

Orihime smiled finally, as she sighed. "Let's just say my best friend and I made a lot of bad choices in high school that we may have managed to get away with."

"Looks like I'll be in good hands then," Kira said, then she clapped her hands together to change the subject as it looked like their waiter was heading their way. "Time for wine!"

 **That night, around midnight**

Walking out of the bathroom, Orihime yawned as she got into bed. Ichigo was already laying back with his hands rubbing his face. "You're exhausted too… That makes me feel a little bit better."

"We're both eighteen years old," Ichigo started, dropping his hands from his face, and moving one arm to wrap around Orihime when she had adjusted to resting her head on his chest. "And we can barely make it to midnight without dying of exhaustion."

"We're also parents to a two-month-old," Orihime replied, her eyes having to adjust after Ichigo had turned the light off. "We have pretty much spent the last two months running off of limited sleep. Whenever we do get to sleep it's never at the same time every night. So our sleeping schedules are all messed up."

"Even so, I feel like we shouldn't have this much of a problem powering through it," Ichigo said, reaching up to stroke Orihime's hair back from her face. "The other day, Tatsuki told me she stayed up for two nights in a row, and she was still able to go to karate and do everything she normally does. She says you and I are just weird."

Orihime hummed and lifted her head up as she eyed Ichigo. "Maybe she should keep Mina for a few nights and then maybe she won't be so confident in that."

Ichigo chuckled at the thought, then he leaned his head over to kiss her. "We should probably get some sleep. I have a feeling we're going to need a lot of energy to get through tomorrow."

"Probably-" Orihime's words were interrupted with a yawn, as she closed her eyes. Feeling sleep edging closer and closer, she knew it'd only be a matter of time.

 **The next day, Saturday**

Stretching her legs out after finishing up with her sunscreen, Orihime sighed happily at the sun's rays warming her skin. After breakfast, she and her friends went out to the beach to start off their day of activities. With how nice it was out, it kind of reminded her back to when they were on the beach at Silvermist. "Kira, remember the beach back on Silvermist? How pregnant we were?"

"Yeah, we were huge," Kira replied, slipping her sunglasses on, and fanning herself with a magazine. "Gigantic even. And we still have the stretch marks to prove it."

"Oh please," Michi said with an eye roll. "There are hundreds of things to remember from that day, and that's what you two focus on?"

"I don't even know why they say that like it's a bad thing," Kimi added, her eyes were focused down on her phone. "They looked fantastic even with how pregnant they were."

Kira put a grin on her face, as her eyes focused on Orihime. "They're so nice to us."

"I know… I don't even mind my stretch marks," Orihime said, stroking one that was still pretty visible. "It's a reminder of my baby girl, and I will happily carry that around with me forever."

"That's true. Like when Hiroko and Mina run off to get married in twenty something years. We'll be here, crying on the beach with our stretch marks to remind us of happier times-"

Kira's words got drowned out by Orihime's laughter. She was soon joined by the other women. When their laughter did settle, Michi spoke. "You've already established that Hiroko and Mina are going to get married?"

"Yeah," Orihime said, a smile on her face at the thought. "Kira and I decided it last month when she was over at the house. It was fate that we met at Silvermist, and it obviously means that Mina and Hiroko are destined to get married."

"Mina's not getting married," Ichigo's voice entered the conversation, as he had gotten closer to them to catch the frisbee disk he and the other guys had been throwing around. His eyes were on Orihime. "At least she's not until she's thirty."

Raising an eyebrow at that, Orihime kept her smile on her face. "What about us? Should we wait until we're thirty?"

Ichigo grinned back, as he shook his head. "It's not the same. You and I are different. Mina's our daughter."

"Right," Orihime replied, rolling her eyes and smiling big as that had the other girls laughing. Waving at Ichigo as he had turned to go back over to the guys, she finally got back to relaxing. The sound of the waves, combined with the hot sun were soothing her nerves. "This really does remind me of Silvermist."

 **The next afternoon, Sunday**

Moving out of the way of another crowd of people, Ichigo kept on down the gravel path. His eyes darting around in attempt to find orange hair that was a bit darker than his. It wasn't until he had turned down a few more paths that his eyes finally landed on that beautiful orange hair. As he approached, he put a smile on his face. "You look stunning."

"Ichigo," Orihime started, a big smile on her face as she turned to face him. Her eyes bright, as she moved up on her tiptoes to kiss him. "Good afternoon."

"Good afternoon to you too," Ichigo replied, enjoying kissing her a second and third time. "I missed getting to say goodnight to you last night. You came home after I went to sleep, and you were still asleep when I got up this morning."

Orihime stifled a yawn, and shook her head. "Kira had wanted to go walk down the beach around two in the morning so we ended up being out later than planned. Then of course by the time I actually got up, you were already gone, as you already know," she said, her smile being interrupted by another yawn. "I'm so tired."

"Me too… I think we're getting too old for partying," Ichigo replied, smirking as that made Orihime laugh. Reaching up, he tucked a stray curl back behind her ear. "On the bright side, the reception is only supposed to last until six since Kira and Ryuu need to get to the airport by seven."

"Thank goodness," Orihime said, although that had her jaw drop for a moment, then she laughed. "Oh, and we're also really happy for Kira and Ryuu getting married today."

Laughing with Orihime this time, Ichigo grinned when he stopped. "Yeah that too."

Hearing the sound of Michi calling her name, Orihime kissed Ichigo again. "And just think, by tonight we'll be able to be home with our daughter."

"And don't forget Bingo!" Ichigo called as Orihime had already started walking away to go meet up with Michi. Smirking as he heard Orihime's laughter, he turned to go back to meet up with the guys. Ready for this wedding to get started.

 **That night**

Walking into Ichigo's dad's house as quietly as they could, Orihime and Ichigo slipped off their shoes after shutting the front door. They had been almost completely silent until Ichigo started chuckling.

"What are you laughing at?" Orihime whispered to him.

"I don't know, I just suddenly remembered that one night when you were still pregnant. I think you were seven months along," Ichigo replied, finishing slipping off his shoes, then he turned to lock the door out of habit. "We went on that date to go to dinner and a movie, but instead of going home after we went on that drive to the bridge. Then-"

"We tried sneaking back in when it was well past one in the morning," Orihime interrupted, a smile on her face as they crossed the living room to go to the stairs. "Then there was a lot of laughing, then you broke the lamp. We probably woke up everyone in the neighborhood that night."

Both chuckled lightly as they took to the stairs. Continuing their silent walk to what used to be their room, and now was Karin's room. Pushing open the door a little, they tip-toed in quietly. Karin was fast asleep in the pile of blankets and pillows on her bed. They could just barely see Bingo's little head poking out from one of the blankets, and he appeared to be snuggled up against Karin's chest.

Right next to Karin's bed was Mina's crib, and she was fast asleep as well. The sight of their sleeping daughter was enough to make Orihime and Ichigo completely at ease after being away from her the past few days. They watched her for a few more minutes in silence, then silently left Karin's room. It wasn't until they were back downstairs that they were able to more freely speak.

"We should just let her sleep," Orihime said right away, going into the kitchen to grab a glass of water. "I would feel terrible waking her up to take her home, then have her not go back to sleep again."

"I was going to say," Ichigo started, a smirk on his face as he leaned against the counter. "Bingo was practically lost in all those blankets, and I don't think he'd want to leave all that."

Laughing lightly, Orihime sipped her water, and turned back to Ichigo. "If anything, I think the both of us are too tired to keep on driving anyways. We can just sleep in one of the guest bedrooms downstairs."

"Just what I was thinking," Ichigo replied, taking a few steps forward, he leaned his head down a bit to kiss her. "I'll go get some of our stuff from the car."

That made Orihime's smile widen, as she kissed him this time. "I'll go get the bed all nice and warm."

"Can't wait." Ichigo replied, kissing her once more, then turning to go. A big grin on his face.

* * *

 **A/N: So this chapter was kind of a break away from everything that has been going on in their lives lately. My favorite scene to write was the scene after going out to dinner with their friends. What was your favorite scene?**

 **Don't forget to review, favorite, and share this story with others. Also be sure to check out my other stories.**

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	6. A Lying Game

_Review:_

" _Just what I was thinking," Ichigo replied, taking a few steps forward, he leaned his head down a bit to kiss her. "I'll go get some of our stuff from the car."_

 _That made Orihime's smile widen, as she kissed him this time. "I'll go get the bed all nice and warm."_

" _Can't wait." Ichigo replied, kissing her once more, then turning to go. A big grin on his face._

* * *

 **A few days later, July 30th**

"So we've been at this training schedule for almost a month now," Ichigo was saying as he walked down the stairs from the back porch, and let Bingo down to run about. "What do you think about it so far?"

"I think it's going pretty well."

"Are you sure?" Ichigo countered as soon as Orihime finished her sentence. "If you need me home more on the days I'm training, I can cut my training time down."

Adjusting Mina from where she was nursing her, Orihime had to readjust the cloth that was draped over Mina and her chest. "Ichigo it's fine. We're usually only gone for five to six hours on our training days, and I think it's nice that we have this going. It works for us, and it lets at least one of us be with Mina."

Ichigo nodded at her response and returned to focusing back on Bingo. However, that only lasted a minute before his eyes were back on Orihime. "You know my dad and sisters would watch Mina too if you ever wanted to get out on a day that I am training."

Raising an eyebrow, Orihime smirked at Ichigo. "Are you trying to tell me I need to get out more?"

Ichigo laughed as he caught Bingo to keep him from running off again. Scratching at the puppy's belly, his eyes met Orihime's again. "No, I just want to make sure your happy."

"This wouldn't have anything to do with the conversation we had with Mai and Hikari earlier would it?" Orihime asked, thinking about how they had Emi spend the night with them last night so Mai and Hikari could have a night off. When the two had come over this morning to pick Emi up, they discussed why they had wanted the night off. Both Hikari and Mai agreed that they needed the time together, as it could sometimes stress them out if they are stuck in the same routine all the time.

"I just want to make sure we're both okay," Ichigo replied, picking Bingo all the way up, then he walked over to Orihime. "Not that I don't love spending time with Mina. I could spend every minute of everyday with her and be completely happy… It's just out of the two of us, if anyone gets stressed out and anxious about things it's-"

"Me," Orihime interrupted, laughing lightly at that. "Well I'm doing just fine. I make sure on my days off that I get out of the house sometimes. I'll take Mina and Bingo to the park or to go visit your family or her godmother. Of course there are also days where I'm so tired that I literally stay in bed all day too."

That brought a huge grin to Ichigo's face. "I thought that was just me."

"It's nice to have those lazy days from time to time. Especially on days where this one doesn't sleep at all the night before," Orihime said, motioning to Mina, who was covered up by the nursing cloth. "Although, I have to say, on my days off, I do miss you a ton."

"At least we get to spend Sunday's together the whole day."

"True. I guess that must be why Sunday is my favorite day of the week," Orihime said, pausing to look down at her phone that beeped with a text message. "When do I have to say goodbye to you forever again?"

Looking down at his own phone, Ichigo eyed the time. "It's not forever. But I do have to leave in a few minutes, but I'll be gone just for four or five hours today. So that way, we might have just enough time to go out to dinner together afterward."

"Okay, well Karin just texted me. She told me that I could go ahead and bring Mina over early… I think I might take her up on that."

Ichigo nodded, as he knelt back down to play with Bingo again. "So what are you going to do with your alone time? Hang out with Bingo?"

Laughing as she watched Ichigo toss Bingo's toy a few feet away, and the little puppy nearly tripped over himself to go after it. "Actually, I think Karin wants Bingo to stay too. She apparently has been wanting a kitten lately, and your dad isn't too sure about it. So Karin wants to hang out with Bingo as a close second to getting a kitten of her own."

"So you'll get to extra relax then?" Ichigo asked, grinning at Orihime's laughter.

"Yeah, well I have some laundry and things to sort through here, but I do plan on having some relaxing time. I might take a nap or a bubble bath… Or both."

"Well how about I go drop Mina and Bingo off on my way to go train?"

"It's not really on the way-"

"So it's like ten or fifteen minutes out of the way," Ichigo interrupted, waving his hand as if it wasn't a big deal. "It's fine. I could say hello to my family for a minute."

Staying quiet for a moment, Orihime finally sighed. "Well, if you wouldn't mind."

"Of course I don't mind," Ichigo replied, standing up so he could kiss the top of Orihime's head. His eyes going down to Mina who was still nursing. "Well, I guess I'll wait to leave until she's finished."

"Great idea," Orihime replied, a smile on her face. Her eyes focusing in on Bingo who was going just a bit to far away. "Bingo come back here!"

The golden retriever puppy didn't seem to understand what she wanted, and instead, flopped down to roll in the grass. Ichigo chuckled at the sight. "I'll go get him."

 **A couple hours later**

Shutting the car door, Orihime walked out of the parking lot, and started down the side walk. She was in a city called Rosehaven that was almost an hour outside of Karakura Town, that was known for it's small town atmosphere and a cozy coffee shop. She had been here once before for the New Years festival, but they didn't enter the town as the festival was closer to the edge of town.

Her eyes swept around herself as she turned to walk onto the main street of town, Rose Hill. She had one goal today, and she knew she only had about an hour to do it to be able to return home before Ichigo did for training. She did actually do laundry and clean a little like she told Ichigo she was going to, but that took barely an hour. After finishing that last load of clothes, she got dressed and started her drive here.

Pulling out her phone, she focused on the map she had pulled up. A green marker blinked where Rosehaven was on the map. Over the past couple weeks she had been working on ways to try to figure out where Aizen might pop up again. After taking everything she learned when she went on her unauthorized trip to the file cabinets at Urahara's, she pin pointed that Aizen had popped up multiple times towards the East. He hadn't popped up again until today when she cleaning the house. Without hesitation she tapped the mark on the map to note where to go, and she took off driving. She knew if she had sensed him, the others would have too. She needed to be quick in order to avoid running into them.

Stopping to take a moment to look around the area, Orihime frowned when she noticed the trace of Aizen was slowly fading away. _So he left, I knew he would. He doesn't usually settle somewhere for too long. I guess that means I can go around and ask people if they've seen him or no where he usually frequents. The more information the better._ Crossing the street then, she decided to start on one end of the street and work her way down, then cross to the other side to do the same. _Let's do this._

 **An hour and a half later**

"Okay, thank you anyways." Orihime said, trying to hold back a sigh as she turned to walk away from the woman behind the bar. She was a small bar and grill, and had went to ask the bartender if she remembered seeing someone who could fit Aizen's description. _I've got nothing. I went to eleven different places, and no one remembers him… Well I mean he might be disguised,_ _and there is also the fact that he may not be in a gigai so nobody would see him._ _But I feel like it'd be below him to disguise himself since he thinks he's so untouchable. Especially after how he's evaded the other shinigami for a couple months… Is this even worth it? It's not like I'm that skilled in tracking or anything. I've gotten better yes, but it might be a long time before I'd be able to effectively track someone down-_

"Miss?"

The sound of a younger male's voice interrupted Orihime's thoughts, and she found herself looking towards a table that neared the door. It was a younger man and woman, probably college aged. She stopped a couple feet away from the table. "Yes?"

"That guy you were describing to the bartender," the younger man started, his eyes going from the girl he was with to Orihime. "We think we know who you are talking about."

"Tall with dark brown hair. He was dressed in all white. He had some bandages on his neck, you couldn't really see the rest of him," the woman added as she nodded her head. "He didn't seem all that nice. The way he carried himself was like he was better than everyone… What? Is he your ex-boyfriend or something?"

"God no," Orihime countered right away, shaking her head quickly, and cringing at the thought. "I'm just looking into him for someone."

"Oh so you're like a private investigator or something?" The girl countered, her eyes wide and showing that she was growing more interested.

"Sort of," Orihime said, putting a smile on her face then. _If you call me being a private investigator for myself, then sure._ "Do you mind if I ask a few questions?" When the two others nodded, Orihime turned on the recorder on her phone in her bag. "Does he come here a lot?"

"Well he used to," the guy said, slouching back on his chair as he hummed. "He disappeared for a week or two, but he all of a sudden showed back up today."

"Was he with anyone?" Orihime asked quickly, before silently cursing herself at sounding to eager. She wanted to be more relaxed in order to not throw these people off. However, it didn't seem to bother either the man or woman.

"Yeah actually," the woman replied with a thoughtful hum. "He was with a woman. Probably around his age. We couldn't really see much of her at first. She was walking around with this black hooded pea coat. Which is odd because it's so hot outside, and no one would be crazy enough to layer up like her-"

"Anyway," the guy interrupted the woman who had started to ramble on. "We finally saw her before they left here. She had these blue/grey eyes, and you could just barely see her hair poking out of the hood. It was brown-"

"No it wasn't really brown, it was more like copper," the woman said, her hand motioning to Orihime. "Kind of like yours, but darker."

Trying to rack her brain for what else someone like a private investigator or detective would ask, Orihime finally settled on a closing question. "Do you know where they were headed?" She asked, and at the two others shaking their heads, she nodded once. "Alright, well thank you both for your time."

"No problem," the guy said at the same time the girl said, "hope you find him."

With that said and done, Orihime left the bar and grill, and reached in her bag to turn her phone recorder off. Starting off across the street, she had her eyes set on the Rose Hill Coffee shop. It's known for being incredibly cozy and some of the best coffee in this part of the country. After an almost ten minute wait in line and a few minutes for her drink to be prepared, Orihime settled down on a couch that was a bit out of the way. A little wary of the glass coffee mug they gave her to drink her coffee in, as she was more used to the plastic or paper cups from Starbucks.

After pulling out her laptop, Orihime put in her ear buds and listened to the recording of her questions to the people she just talked to. Adding what they said to her notes. When she finished typing, she sighed heavily. The only real information she gained was that he was indeed here, and a somewhat description of who he was with. _All I can really do with this is potentially go through some databases to identify the woman, but that could take ages. There is no telling if she'd even be in a database that I could have access to anyways-_ Breaking off mid-thought, Orihime's eyes widened as she got the strong sense of Ichigo nearby. His spiritual pressure out of everyone's stood out like a sore thumb. Moving her eyes over to the doors of the coffee shop, she strained her eyes to see.

 **Ichigo's POV**

"Of course he's gone," Ichigo said, sighing with heavy frustration at Aizen's spiritual energy nowhere to be found. It had been a while since they had caught onto his energy, and when they finally did it took them way too long to get where he supposedly was. "No one we've asked saw him or someone who looked like him."

"It could have been an accident," Rangiku offered, from where she walked over from across the street with Toshiro and Renji. The three of them had taken the other side of the street to ask some questions, while Rukia and Ichigo had this side. "He could have re-hid it and left the area to make sure we didn't catch him."

"Do you really think Aizen would have slipped up? It was probably on purpose just to make us come all the way out here," Renji replied, his eyes going over towards Ichigo and Rukia. "Did you two get anything?"

"Not really anything useful- Orihime?" Ichigo stopped mid-sentence when he got the strong sense of Orihime's presence. He learned to recognize it like it was second nature to him after they rescued her from Aizen a couple years ago.

"What?" Rukia questioned, an eyebrow raised at Ichigo's distraction.

Looking around them, Ichigo hummed as continued to focus on her spiritual energy. "I sense Orihime."

"All the way out here?"

Ichigo nodded back at Renji's question, as he turned away from them. His eyes focusing on the front side of the Rose Hill Coffee shop. Without hesitating he started to the shop, and walked right in. Looking around the busy shop, his eyes finally settled on a coffee table and a comfortable looking couch that was out of the way and rather secluded. The couch was empty and the only thing on the table was a single cup of coffee, hot steam still coming off the top of it. The sense of her energy he once felt was gone as if it was never there in the first place.

 _I must be imagining things…_ He trailed off as his eyes picked up on long orange hair. Overcome with the sense of familiarity, he walked over, and reached a hand out to her shoulder. "Orihime-"

The woman who turned around was indeed not Orihime. Her hair was not really orange so much as a orange-brown. She was much older, but oddly enough there were some features that could somewhat resemble Orihime. The eyes mostly, but maybe he was just reaching.

"Orihime?" The woman questioned, an eyebrow raised.

"I'm sorry," Ichigo replied to the woman, rubbing the back of his neck. "From behind you look like my fiance."

That brought a smile to the woman's face before she laughed lightly. "No worries."

With the misunderstanding smoothed out, Ichigo turned to leave the coffee shop. Pausing at the door, his eyes went back to the woman one last time, then he left.

"Well?" Rangiku asked with her hands propped on her hips and her eyebrow raised.

Ichigo shrugged his shoulders, as he looked to the others. "Well I thought I sensed her."

"You just have her on the mind." Rukia said, grinning at Ichigo.

While Renji, Rukia and Rangiku began to give Ichigo a hard time about his focus on being at home rather than on this mission, Toshiro's focus was on the coffee shop. His eyes specifically on the woman Ichigo had been talking to inside. _It might not be that simple… Because I could have swore I sensed Orihime as well._

 **Orihime's POV**

Trying to catch her breath, Orihime stopped once she reached her car in the parking lot. She had sensed Ichigo just moments before she saw him on the sidewalk outside the coffee shop. She barely had enough time to put her laptop in her bag and leave out the back door before he came inside. _That was really close. I wonder if Ichigo and the others are here on the same lead I am… Of course they are. Why else would they be here Orihime?_

Her silent questioning of herself was interrupted with her phone ringing, and she pulled it out of her bag to see it was Toshiro. Biting her lip, she tried to push away all the thoughts that were screaming that she had got caught. After taking a deep breath, she accepted the call. "Long time no-see."

 _Toshiro: That's not fair. I was in the Soul Society the past few days, then you were gone this past weekend._

Trying to keep herself sound normal, Orihime laughed a little. "I guess that's true. We need to stop being so busy so we can hang out."

 _Toshiro: Speaking of being busy, what are you up to today?_

 _Orihime: Not much. Mina and Bingo are over at Ichigo's dad's house, and I've been relaxing and getting some housework done… What are you doing today?"_

 _Toshiro: Uh- Well, we are going out to the cabin you and I trained it for a while today. It's actually quite funny, we stopped on the way there, and Ichigo could have swore he sensed you outside this little coffee shop we were by. I even thought I sensed you._

Orihime froze up, as she felt her heart start to pick up. "Did you now?"

 _Toshiro: Yeah, obviously we were mistaken, since you said you were at home. Although on top of that, Ichigo saw a woman that he thought was you from behind. Her hair was like yours, but more brown toned._

Turning to get in the car, Orihime was quiet as she focused on closing the door silently. "Maybe that's why you two thought it was me."

 _Toshiro: I guess. She actually just left the coffee shop we were at. She's wearing this awful black coat with a hood. Karin would probably say she looked like a spy or something-_

"Wait a second," Orihime interrupted, her eyes wide as she gripped the steering wheel with her free hand. "You said she was wearing a black hood?"

 _Toshiro: Yeah. Not many people walk around dressed in longsleeves during the Summer. I don't know why-_

 _Orihime: Just out of curiosity, would you say her eyes were grey-blue toned?_

 _Toshiro: I guess, I didn't see them that closely- Why are you asking about that?_

 _Orihime: Oh no reason, I just thought I saw someone like that the other day. Anyway, I'll have to talk to you later, I just finished running a bath._

 _Toshiro: Alright, well don't drown. Maybe we can go for lunch before your training tomorrow._

"Thanks and yeah that'd be great. Talk to you later." Orihime hung up the phone as soon as she finished talking. Slowly she turned on her car, and remained sitting still for a long time. It wasn't until after she heard the song change on the radio for the second time that she focused back on her phone to open a text.

 _Orihime: Hey Ichigo, just wanted to see how training is going?_

It didn't take longer than a minute for Ichigo to text her back.

 _Ichigo: Yeah it's going great. I'm tired though. When I leave Urahara's to go pick up Mina and Bingo afterward, I can pick up some Italian if you want._

Feeling her breath catch in her throat at Ichigo's words, Orihime typed back that it sounded good, then dropped her phone on the passenger seat. Rubbing her face with her hands, she tried to breathe through the stress and irritation. "So not only did Toshiro lie to me about where they were today, but so did Ichigo. Is this what it's coming to? They literally can't just tell me the truth about what's really going on. It's like we're playing a lying game today. How many people can lie to me in one day."

It took another few minutes for her to calm down enough to start her drive back home. _If I'm trying to think of the positives, I at least know one thing that they don't know. That the woman they talked to today was definitely the woman that has been traveling with Aizen… Although that also means that I was right there in the coffee shop with her and didn't even notice…_

Stopping at a red light, Orihime took in a deep breath in and out. "No I need to focus on the positive. I have a somewhat description of what this woman looks like. That already gives me a leg up on finding her and possibly Aizen again. I need to just be happy about that."

 **That evening**

"Are you okay?"

The sound of Ichigo's voice hit Orihime's ears, and she slowly opened her eyes to see the bathroom ceiling. She was currently leaning back against the bathroom counter with Mina in her arms. Their little girl was being a handful tonight between refusing to go to sleep and not letting them put her down without screaming her head off. "I'm fine, just a bit tired. The usual."

"Did your relaxing time earlier help at all?" Ichigo leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed.

Thinking about how she spent most of that time in Rosehaven or driving to and back from Rosehaven, Orihime shrugged. "I guess it's just one of those days where no matter how much I relax, I still feel like death at the end of the day."

Ichigo chuckled at her words. "We've had a few of those nights over the past few months."

They fell into silence after that. Orihime not saying anything, and Ichigo watching her. From the angle they were at, he couldn't really see anything but the side of her face. However, just by the way her jaw appeared to be clenched, it seemed to show that she was irritated. "Are you sure-"

Bingo's little barks interrupted Ichigo's words, as he squished past Ichigo's legs to get into the bathroom. Starting to sniff at the rug in front of the bathtub.

"I think he needs to go out again before we try to go to sleep," Ichigo said, reaching down to scoop up Bingo before he could run past him out of the bathroom. His eyes once again going to Orihime who still appeared irritated. "Once I bring him back in, we can-"

"Mina's almost asleep I think. I might go sit on the rocking chair with her, then probably go to sleep as soon as she's down. My head's been kind of hurting." Orihime interrupted him, finally turning to face Ichigo.

Eying Orihime head-on, Ichigo didn't see the irritation, just a small smile. Unsure if he was just imagining things before or not, Ichigo nodded once. "If she's not asleep by the time I come back inside, I don't mind taking over so you can get some sleep."

"No that's okay. I think she's really close to sleeping finally," Orihime let her eyes fall from Ichigo's to go back to Mina. "I'm hoping by the time you come back in, we can just both go to bed."

"That'd be nice." Ichigo replied, offering her a smile even though she wasn't looking his way anymore.

Orihime listened as Ichigo walked away, and finally looked up and to her reflection in the mirror over the sink. _It's been hard all day… To look him in the eye and know something that he doesn't, and to not tell him about it. He doesn't seem to have any problem looking and talking to me when he's keeping such a big secret from me…_

* * *

 **A/N: So we're leaving on a not so fun note here. Secrets tend to make things a lot more complicated. What do you all think is going to happen with Aizen and this mystery woman? What all do you think is going to happen between Orihime and Ichigo with these secrets in the air?**

 **This is the last chapter for a little while. Stay tuned on my blog for updates on when the next batch of chapters will be uploaded. It will probably either be towards the end of this year or the beginning of next year just because I have my other stories to work on as well.**

 **Don't forget to review, favorite, and share this story with others. Also be sure to check out my other stories.**

 **Be sure to like my page (Ruby1235 Fanfiction) on Facebook and follow me on twitter ( Ruby1235Fanfic) for updates, sneak peeks, and hints for current and new stories :)**

 **Also be sure to check out my blog: ruby1235fanfiction. blogspot .com (no spaces)**


	7. Taking A Break

**A/N: If you are reading my story _Secrets & Dreams_ it goes along nicely with the timeline of this story. For those of you who don't know, I created a spin-off series from _The Reason_ and _Finding What's Lost_ that centers around Karin and Yuzu. The first of the spin-off series was _Summer Dreaming_ , and now I'm doing a sequel to that story called _Secrets & Dreams_. Both Finding What's Lost and Secrets and Dreams are following a similar timeline, and I often will write on certain events in both stories(like crossovers).**

 _Review:_

" _No that's okay. I think she's really close to sleeping finally," Orihime let her eyes fall from Ichigo's to go back to Mina. "I'm hoping by the time you come back in, we can just both go to bed."_

" _That'd be nice." Ichigo replied, offering her a smile even though she wasn't looking his way anymore._

 _Orihime listened as Ichigo walked away, and finally looked up and to her reflection in the mirror over the sink. It's been hard all day… To look him in the eye and know something that he doesn't, and to not tell him about it. He doesn't seem to have any problem looking and talking to me when he's keeping such a big secret from me…_

* * *

 **Almost three weeks later, August 18th**

"It's nice to have you back," Ichigo said, his eyes going briefly to Orihime, then focusing back on Bingo who was currently pulling at his leash to get them to keep walking. "Walking with Mina's stroller and Bingo by myself began to slowly drive me crazy."

Orihime laughed lightly, as they turned to keep on the path of the park. "Well as nice as it was to go on my first real assignment for the Soul Society these past few days, I did miss you, Mina, and Bingo a lot."

Over the past couple weeks, they had brought their training days down to one to two days a week, and one of those days overlapped for the both of them. They were getting assignments from the Soul Society ever so often now, and they wanted to spend more time with Mina. On the day they would both train, they would let Mina and Bingo spend the day over at Ichigo's dad's house.

"What did we have to pick up for my dad's barbeque again?" Ichigo asked after getting a text from his dad about the time for the barbeque today.

"Just drinks and ice." Orihime said, pausing in walking for a moment as Mina seemed to get a little fussy. She leaned over and returned the spit out pacifier to Mina's mouth, then they started walking again.

"I'm looking for this barbeque today. My family finally feels somewhat back to normal after everything that happened with Yuzu last week."

"To be fair, Yuzu was going through a lot the past almost two months," Orihime sighed at the thought. "I feel bad that Yuzu as struggling for so long."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow, as his eyes met Orihime's. "Why? You were the only one who actually knew what was going on."

"Okay yes, Yuzu did confide in me before she told everyone else, but still. She's been going through all of this ever since she came back from her art program, and it must have been rough."

Shrugging his shoulders, Ichigo had to pull back on Bingo's leash a little to get him to slow down. "I guess it explains why she's all of a sudden swapped personalities with who Karin used to be, before Karin decided to get all cheerful. Now that I think about it, they really did just switch personalities while they were gone."

"Yuzu's still cheerful Ichigo..." Orihime trailed off, as she got a text from Toshiro. "Toshiro's asking if we're bringing Bingo over to the house. Karin is apparently still non-stop talking about wanting a cat, and she needs some animal friendship."

"I don't know. I figured the whole thing would just die out."

Orihime raised an eyebrow in his direction. "Karin wanting a cat?"

"No... Them." Was all Ichigo said.

"You're talking about Karin and Toshiro," she laughed a little, as they turned to go down a different path in the park. "Come on Ichigo. He's a great guy, and he treats your sister well... Unlike her previous boyfriend."

"He wasn't that bad..."

"Really? Because when they were dating, you didn't really like him either."

Ichigo hesitated after she pointed that out. "Okay, you're right there."

Nodding back at Ichigo, Orihime flipped her hair over her shoulder. "I mean he seemed pretty nice at first, but the way Karin talked about how he treated her when she was away at her music program... It was just awful. At least now she is with someone who we can confirm is a nice person- Well I can confirm it since it appears that you still need some convincing."

Ichigo hummed lowly for a moment. "I guess he's not the worst person she could be with."

Smirking at his admission, Orihime held her phone up. "Hold on, I need to film you saying this. Toshiro will never believe it."

"Absolutely not-" Ichigo got cut off as Bingo all of a sudden took off, jerking the leash out of Ichigo's hand, just as Mina started crying.

As Ichigo went after Bingo, Orihime stopped pushing Mina's stroller, and moved in front of it to try to settle her back down. A smile on her face when she accomplished that. "You and Bingo are trying to tell us it's time to go to grandpa's house, huh?"

 **An hour later, Isshin's House**

"Thank you for watching her a couple days ago Yuzu," Orihime said, smiling at Yuzu who was currently holding Mina. "With me gone on assignment, Ichigo probably really appreciated the help."

"It was no trouble," Yuzu replied, smiling down at Mina who was reaching up for Yuzu's hair. "My dad and Karin were both at work, and it was kind of nice to spend some time with my niece. Oh and Bingo of course."

Orihime smiled at Mina yawning. "Yeah well, Bingo and Mina can be a handful when they're both wide awake."

Shrugging at that, Yuzu moved to put Mina in her rocker sleeper carefully. "I guess. It was actually just nice to see someone other than my dad and Karin. Don't get me wrong, I love them, but after being grounded the past couple weeks, the only people I got to see was them and Toshiro."

"Well at least your almost done with it," Orihime said, her eyes going to the date on her phone. "You've got what? Four more days left of the two weeks.

Yuzu nodded, as she leaned back against the couch. "Yeah, then I'm free."

 **The backyard**

Bingo's barking filled the air, as he ran around the backyard after Karin who had his toy.

Over on the patio, Ichigo watched Karin running around, then his eyes went to his dad. "I'm glad Karin's doing this. I'm thinking with the walk at the park and this exercise, Bingo will be worn out tonight, and not drive Orihime and I crazy."

Isshin, who was watching over the grill, glanced out in the yard in Karin's direction. "Yeah, well this only seems to make Karin want animal companionship even more. I guess this whole wanting a cat thing won't be dying out anytime soon."

"What made you think that?" Toshiro cut in from where he was also sitting at the table out on the patio. A smirk on his face. "This or the 3000 cat pictures she sends you a day?"

Isshin laughed at that. "I don't know, I thought the cat pictures was her trying to be subtle."

Toshiro chuckled. "That is not a word I would use to describe Karin. She wants this cat bad."

Ichigo's eyes moved over to Toshiro. "She's bothering you about it too?"

"Who do you think gets the pleasure of pre-approving all the cat pictures she sends?" Toshiro countered, his smirk returning to his face. "At this point, I could probably tell you more about the type of cat Karin wants than she could."

Isshin laughed at that, even Ichigo joined in. Despite the fact that he still wasn't a hundred percent comfortable with Karin dating Toshiro, it was kind of hard to hate the guy. Finishing the beer in his hand, Ichigo stood up, and looked from his dad to Toshiro. "I'm getting another beer. Want me to grab you one?"

"Sure." Isshin said, his back turned to his son, as he flipped the burgers.

Toshiro shook his head when Ichigo's eyes went to him, as he held up his beer. "I'm still good, but thanks."

Ichigo turned to go back into the house, and had to move out of the way when Raya ran past him to come outside.

"Karin!" The four-year-old girl hollered, as she took off down the three porch steps.

Shaking his head, Ichigo smiled as he went inside. His eyes going to Rin who was holding Mina, then to Kei, Rin's boyfriend. "Hey man, want a beer?"

"That'd be great." Kei said, shaking Ichigo's hand in greeting.

When Ichigo returned from the kitchen, he passed a beer over to Kei, then looked to Orihime. "Aren't Mai, Hikari, and Emi coming?"

"Yes, but they might be a little late. They just moved into the new house, and are still having to unpack." Orihime replied, thinking about how they had moved to a house that was closer to the west side of Karakura Town that allowed them to be closer to Windsworth, but still remaining in Karakura Town.

Ichigo nodded once, and returned back out to the patio where the guys, now plus Kei were. He handed his dad a beer, then went to sit down at the table. Looking out into the yard where Karin and now Raya, were playing with Bingo. _This has been a great day. A perfect day for a barbeque and family._ _It's nice to take a break from our busy lives._

 **Later that night**

Shutting her laptop screen, Orihime sighed heavily, and let her head fall back against the couch. There haven't been any new updates on Aizen and the mystery woman's whereabouts in a few weeks. That last appearance of the mystery woman at the coffee house in Rosehaven was the last lead she had. _For all I know Aizen could go underground for months. Years even. No one knows the extent of what my powers did to him. It could take him a while to regain his full strength._

Looking down, a smile formed on her face at her sleeping daughter on her chest. _I guess I can take a small break from searching. When he shows up again, we'll take care of him. Until then I need to focus on Mina._

Hearing her phone buzz from the coffee table, she reached over to see who had texted her.

 _Ichigo: I seem to be missing my fiance. I was hoping you could help me find her._

A smile started to grow on Orihime's face, as she texted him back. _I think I might have seen her. Apparently, she's trying to see how long she can stay awake without losing her mind._

 _Ichigo: Well could you tell her that the bed's not as comfortable without her, and she is missed deeply._

Chuckling, Orihime put her laptop on the coffee table, and carefully got up from the couch to go upstairs. Once up there she moved into her and Ichigo's room, and gently placed Mina in her bassinet. After making sure she didn't wake her up, Orihime got in bed. Careful to avoid Bingo who was sleeping at the end of the bed.

"There she is." Ichigo's voice was heard, before he turned over and wrapped his arms around her.

Smiling as he kissed her forehead, Orihime rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes. Ready to get some sleep.

 **The next morning**

"I'm going to miss you so much baby girl."

"What about me?"

"Yeah I guess," Orihime replied back with a shrug. She broke into a smile as she looked over her shoulder at Ichigo who walking out on the back porch. "Of course I'll miss you."

"I know, I just like to have reminders now and again."

Orihime's smile remained on her face, as she finished nursing Mina, and readjusted her shirt back. Walking over to the back door, she searched for Ichigo to find him turning on the water hose, then returning back to the porch. He had gone out and bought a small kiddie pool, and was now filling it up with water on their back porch. "So what's the plan with the pool again?"

"Well, I figured it's been pretty hot out lately, and it would be a nice cool refresher for Mina to enjoy," Ichigo replied, as he started filling up the pool. Bingo, who had been following him around since he got the pool out of the car earlier, was currently trying to drink some of the water from the hose. His eyes moved to Orihime, and he smirked. "Although I'm sure that Bingo will actually be the one enjoying the pool."

"You're probably right on that one-" Orihime paused as her phone went off in her pocket. It was her alarm to let her know when she needed to leave. "Well it looks like I have to get going. Rangiku and Rukia are waiting for me."

Ichigo let the hose sit in the pool, and went to grab Mina from her. Wrapping his free arm around Orihime, he kissed her once. "Are you sure you are going on an assignment? It kinda sounds like you're just going on a week-long vacation with your friend."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because when I get sent on assignments it's always with people I don't like. Renji. Toshiro-"

"Pretty much everyone," Orihime interrupted, smiling as that made him grin. "And even though you argue with them a lot, they are your friends. You just don't want to admit it."

"Yeah, yeah." Ichigo murmured, smirking as he kissed her again. Their kiss was broken with the sound of a splash of water.

Bingo apparently couldn't wait an had jumped into the kiddie pool. Barking and splashing the water around.

That made Orihime smile as she took out her phone again to take a few pictures. "Okay, enjoy all this cuteness for the next week. I'll have to live off these few pictures for the week."

"I will send you pictures every day Orihime," Ichigo replied, leaning over to kiss her once more, then going over to fish Bingo out of the pool with his free hand. "I've got to go turn the hose off, and a lot of supervising to do with Bingo. Lifeguarding and all that."

Laughing at Ichigo unsuccessfully grabbing Bingo the first time. "Good luck, I love you very much."

"I love you too. Be careful."

Remaining at the door for a moment longer, Orihime watched Ichigo finally get Bingo out of the pool, then go to head down the porch stairs to go to turn the water off. Finally, she turned to go grab her purse and bag from beside the couch. It wasn't until she was out the front door and on the path down to the driveway that she paused. _I already miss them. This is going to be a long week._

 **Later that day, about 4 p.m.**

The sound of Mina's crying went up again after only a few minutes of her asleep on her rocker. Leaving the laundry half put in the washer, Ichigo went to pick Mina up, and attempt to soothe her. "I just fed you and changed you, and you haven't slept since about eight a.m. Usually, you take about two naps by now, so you're tired, but not sleeping."

Mina's whimpering remained, then she started crying again. Just about the same time as Bingo started nosing his way to the back door.

Attempting to soothe Mina, Ichigo walked over to the back door, and opened it for Bingo to go out. They had a fence installed around their backyard to make sure Bingo doesn't run off when they let him out. Turning away from the porch, Ichigo paced back and forth a little to try to soothe Mina, and that's when he heard a splash. Taking in a deep breath, he turned and saw Bingo had jumped back into the pool. "Oh you've got to be kidding me."

A few minutes later he had a very wet puppy wrapped in a towel in one arm, and his crying daughter in the other. Laundry half hanging out of the washer, and a couple more loads of laundry waiting to be washed. His shirt starting to get soaked with all the water from Bingo, and he had to take a long deep breath. _Okay, we're going to try something else._

 **At the park, half an hour later**

"Well I think this is what she needed," Tatsuki said, smiling at the sight of her goddaughter asleep in the stroller Ichigo was pushing. Her eyes went to Bingo who she was currently walking. "The walk will probably tire Bingo out."

"I hope so. Mina fell asleep on the car ride over here." Ichigo chuckled at the thought. It reminded him of a few nights that he and Orihime had to drive around four an hour in the middle of the night just to get Mina to go to sleep.

"Have you heard from Orihime?"

"She texted me once they got to the place, but I think she's working now."

"Is this the first time she's going to be gone longer than a few days."

"Yeah," Ichigo sighed at the thought. "Usually when she is gone, I'll just hang out at my dad's house and use my sister for her babysitting skills."

Tatsuki laughed. "Well, Karin is a great babysitter according to you and Orihime, Mai, Rin, oh and that one time she babysat for your friends that live by Windsworth- Oh let's talk about Toshiro."

"Can we not?" Ichigo asked, his eyes narrowing at the suggestion.

"Weren't you warming up to the idea of them being in a relationship?"

"I guess... I still don't want to talk about it."

Tatsuki smirked at that. "I still don't see why you don't like him, he's a pretty nice guy-"

"Okay, changing the subject," Ichigo said, as his eyes caught onto Uryu and Chad entering the park. Bingo started barking at the familiar people ahead. "They finally made it. Let's go talk to them about things that don't relate to my sister's love life."

* * *

 **A/N: So they haven't seen or heard anything about Aizen in the last few weeks, could things be getting back to normal for them? Or is it only temporary normalcy? What was your favorite part of the chapter.**

 **Don't forget to review, favorite, and share this story with others. Also be sure to check out my other stories.**

 **Be sure to like my page (Ruby1235 Fanfiction) on Facebook and follow me on twitter ( Ruby1235Fanfic) for updates, sneak peeks, and hints for current and new stories :)**

 **Also be sure to check out my blog: ruby1235fanfiction. blogspot .com (no spaces)**


	8. Girls Night

_Review:_

 _"I guess... I still don't want to talk about it."_

 _Tatsuki smirked at that. "I still don't see why you don't like him, he's a pretty nice guy-"_

 _"Okay, changing the subject," Ichigo said, as his eyes caught onto Uryu and Chad entering the park. Bingo started barking at the familiar people ahead. "They finally made it. Let's go talk to them about things that don't relate to my sister's love life."_

* * *

 **A week later, Friday the 26th of August**

"So when is this wedding going to happen?" Rukia asked, grabbing a drink from the refrigerator, then going back to sit on one of the bar stools.

"We're not quite sure yet," Orihime said, smiling as she watched Tatsuki playing with Bingo over in the living room. "We know it'll probably be next year, as the rest of this year just doesn't seem like we'll be able to fit a wedding in."

Bingo barking was heard, then Tatsuki's laughter. "Well Mai and Hikari are getting married in October, so I think I'll be hitting my wedding attendance quota for the year."

Orihime laughed this time. "What? You can only handle one wedding a year."

"Even one is pushing it," Tatsuki replied with a sigh. "I didn't realize that as soon as we were getting out of high school everyone was going to try to get married."

"I don't actually mind it," Rukia cut in with a shrug of her shoulders. "It can be nice dressing up every once in a while."

"Me too," Orihime agreed, as her focus went back to Tatsuki. "Not everyone is getting married. You're not, Rukia's not, Rangiku's not, Akira's not… there are a ton of people not getting married."

"Speaking of Akira," Tatsuki changed the subject, as she looked at the time on her phone. "When is she Mai getting here? I'm starving."

Orihime glanced at the time herself. "They did offer to pick up dinner, so I don't think we should rush them."

"I'm not rushing, I'm just hungry." Tatsuki shot back, smirking as that made Rukia laugh.

The sound of Mina's crying was heard from the baby monitor, and Orihime started to move to get up. "Oh, that's for me."

"No, no, no." Tatsuki interrupted, the same time as Rukia reached for the baby monitor. "We will get her."

Orihime smiled as both Tatsuki and Rukia ran upstairs to go get Mina, and she leaned back against the couch cushions. _It's nice having them here to give Mina some attention. I love my friends._ _It's also nice to have a girls night after having not been able to see all of them at the same time in a while._

 **An hour and a half later**

Having finished up eating, Orihime moved over to put dishes in the sink. Her eyes going to the living room where Emi was coloring on her coloring book.

"It's so nice to bring Emi somewhere that's childproofed." Mai said, as she helped Orihime put dishes from the sink into the dishwasher.

"Well Mina is only three and half months old, and she's not really mobile yet," Orihime said, smiling at the thought. "But Bingo, on the other hand, is a puppy who is pretty much out of control most of the time. It is kind of a necessity to make sure stuff is out of his way, so he can't destroy it."

"Hey, speaking of Bingo," Tatsuki said, as she opened the back door. "Akira and I are taking him outside, as he clearly needs some exercise."

Akira started to the living room. "I'll grab one of his toys-"

"Oh, there's actually a basket in the laundry room with his outdoor toys." Orihime interrupted, her eyes going to Mai after Akira grabbed a toy and went outside. "It's not that big of a deal that his toys be separated. It's just some of his stuffed animal and softer toys would get ruined outside. Most of his outdoor toys are tennis balls or kongs."

Rukia, who was watching out the window, and giving Mina a bottle chuckled at the sight of Bingo running around the yard after Akira had thrown his toy. "Aw, he's adorable."

"We were thinking about getting a dog," Mai started, as they all moved over to sit in the living room. She sat down behind where Emi was, and watched her color. "When we were in the apartment it just didn't seem right to get a dog then not have space for it to run outside, and neither of us would be home long enough to take it for a walk as much as it would have needed. But now that we're in the house with the yard, it's more realistic."

"That would be cool," Orihime said, as Emi got her attention to color with her. "Bingo could get a new little friend."

Mai sighed, but she smiled at Emi offering Orihime a crayon. "Yeah, it probably won't happen until after the wedding in a few months. I have a lot on my plate right now. With Hikari having just started his new job and college starts for both of us in a couple weeks. I just don't want to bring a dog into the house if we can't fully commit the time to spend with it and train it."

"How's Hikari's new job?" Rukia asked as she moved to sit down on one of the couches.

"It's going well from what he's telling me," Mai asked, a smile on her face at the thought. "He's thrilled to finally be working as a sous chef, and not working a desk job. It's one step closer to his future career."

Orihime grabbed a blank piece of paper to start her coloring on. "That's good to hear… Are you excited to pick out your dress tomorrow?"

"Yeah I am," Mai replied, her eyes going to her phone where she had her wedding board on Pinterest pulled up. "The only reason I have put it off this long is because my future sister in law has offered to tailor it for me. Which also helps with costs and all that."

Rukia finally sat down with them on the couch, as she had finished burping Mina after she finished her bottle. "I'm just excited we're all going to get to hang out again tomorrow. We hardly ever meet up all together anymore."

"I know… I really appreciate Karin for babysitting for me." Mai said, her eyes drifting back to Emi and her coloring. "It's nice to have someone that I trust watching her. Although I do worry about it overwhelming her when she'll have both Mina and Emi at the same time."

"Well she has babysat them both, plus Raya at the same time," Orihime pointed out with a shrug. "She did great, so I wouldn't be too worried."

Mai hummed lowly, and reached over for her wine glass. "Raya just turned four almost two months ago, and Emi's two and a little out of control lately. Then with Mina being still so young… I just get worried."

"Honestly, she'll be fine. I get worried sometimes too, but then she reminds me that she's definitely capable," Orihime laughed a little. "It's actually quite frustrating when it takes Ichigo and I nearly two hours to get Mina to sleep sometimes, and Karin can just pick her up and get her to sleep in fifteen minutes almost everytime."

Rukia and Mai both laugh, and Mai offered Orihime a smile after she sipped at her wine. "I guess you're right."

Rukia's phone ringing had her turn a little away from the others as she answered. "Hey, what's up?"

Orihime and Mai both noticed Rukia turn away, and watched her closely.

"I'm still over with the girls, and I might be over here late. Then the first part of the morning tomorrow we'll be busy, but I'm free tomorrow evening..."

Mai noticed a smile grow on Rukia's face after she finished speaking. Her eyes moved to Orihime. "Who is she talking to?"

"I don't know." Orihime whispered back with a shrug.

Rukia laughing got their attention again. "Okay, tomorrow evening it is then. I'll text you later when I get home. Bye." She got off the phone, and her eyes went to see Orihime and Mai staring at her. "What?"

"Who was that?" They chorused immediately.

Shrugging, Rukia focused down on Mina, who was looking as if she was nearing sleep. "No one."

Mai noticed Rukia's cheeks turning slightly pink. "Oh look, she's blushing. It's probably a guy."

It was quiet when Rukia didn't say anything, and Orihime clapped her hands together. "Oh my god, it is about a guy!"

"What's going on?" Tatsuki asked, as she and Akira came inside with Bingo.

"Rukia's seeing someone." Mai explained quickly.

Akira strolled over and sat down on the same couch as Rukia. "Who?"

Rukia didn't say anything at first, as everyone's eyes were on her. She averted her eyes again to look down at Mina. "It's not that big of a thing. It just kind of recently started, so none of you are allowed to make a big deal about it."

"Sure, sure." Orihime agreed, accepting Mina when Rukia handed her over.

"I'm sort of dating… Renji."

There was a lot of chatter all of a sudden, and Rukia quickly waved her hands. "What happened to not making a big deal?"

"That was before you told us it was Renji." Akira replied.

"Yes, I'm going to get some more wine, and you are going to tell us everything. This girls night is getting better by the second." Mai added, as she got up to go over to the refrigerator. But as soon as Mai moved, Emi started to fuss at her mom leaving, and Mai just sat back down.

"I'll get it," Tatsuki said, as she turned to go to the refrigerator. "I'm already over here."

"Bring the entire bottle, please!" Orihime called, a smile on her face as she look back at Rukia. "Now details."

 **Later that night**

Unlocking the front door, Ichigo sighed as he walked in the house. Exhaustion had taken over his body after having not slept in over 36 hours. The assignment got a lot more complicated the past couple days, but finally got it done. After locking the door back up, he briefly turned on the light to grab a quick snack and water from the kitchen. That was when he released the kitchen and living room were both very clean.

Ever since they had Mina, then Bingo as well, their house was hardly ever fully clean. But it was spotless, all of Bingo's toys were in their bins, and there weren't laundry baskets full of Mina's onesies laying around. _I can never get it this clean when it's just me in the house… I need to step up my game._

After finishing his snack, he went upstairs and quietly opens the door to his and Orihime's bedroom. Navigating through the dark room, he went into the bathroom, and took a shower. When he finally got out of the shower he made sure to stay extra quiet as he left the bathroom to go to their closet and get dressed for bed. Once finally ready to actually go to bed, he passed where Mina was asleep in her bassinet at the end of their bed, and where Bingo was asleep on the actual bed. Almost as soon as he slipped in their bed, Orihime had moved to look over to him. He leaned over to kiss her. "Hey."

"Hey stranger," Orihime mumbled, then she yawned. "How was your assignment?"

"It was okay. We ran into some problems, and I haven't really got much sleep over the past 36 hours," Ichigo reached a hand up to push her hair out of her face. "How was your day?"

That brought a smile to Orihime's face. "It was pretty fun. I took Mina and Bingo to the park around six a.m. this morning because Mina didn't want to sleep anymore and Bingo had way too much energy. It was nice though, Karin came out to meet me to get some exercise before work. I got to hang out with some of our friends, and Mina and Bingo enjoyed the extra attention."

"You forgot to mention how extraordinarily clean our house is too," Ichigo added, wrapping his arm around her, as he smiled. "You are amazing for taking care of Mina and Bingo, and still managing to get everything else done. I usually struggle with it all."

Laughing lightly, Orihime snuggled into his arms, and rested her head on his chest. "I sometimes struggle too. I was very lucky to have our friends over today to help distract Bingo and spend time with Mina. It helped me get a lot on my to-do list done."

"Speaking of our friends, how long are you going to be gone with the girls tomorrow to pick out Mai's wedding dress?"

"I'm not really sure. It sounds like the girls are planning on it being an all day kind of thing… I honestly don't know if I'll be able to keep up." Orihime sighed heavily at how exhausted she felt.

"Parent life," Ichigo offered, chuckling along with her. Kissing her forehead, he slipped his hand to her back to rub it gently. "I think it's time we get some sleep. I love you."

Orihime smiled, as she closed her eyes. "I love you too. Goodnight Ichigo."

 **The next day, the 27th of August**

 _Karin: "Okay now stop calling me Ichigo, or I will block your number."_

"I'm just checking on how Mina is doing-" Ichigo stopped when Karin hung up on him. Sighing heavily with annoyance, Ichigo dropped his phone back in his bag, and walked back over to where the others were.

"So can we get back to training now?" Renji asked, an eyebrow raised in Ichigo's direction.

"Why do you say it like that?" Ichigo countered.

"Well we've been here for three hours, and you've already called five times-"

"I'm checking to make sure my daughter is okay," Ichigo interrupted Shuhei Hisagi, then he scowled as that brought laughter from Renji, Ikkaku, and Yumichika. "Why are you guys even here today?"

"I invited them." Renji replied, a smirk on his face. "Back to you needing to take a break every half hour to go to your phone. Your daughter is fine. Your sister is supposed to be good at watching kids right?"

"Karin is capable of watching Mina while we train." Toshiro pointed out.

That immediately brought some snickers from the guys. Ikkaku's eyes went to Ichigo. "Are we going to talk about how your sister is now dating Toshiro?"

"What does that have to do with training?" Toshiro countered, as he crossed his arms. "Just five seconds ago, that's what you all wanted-"

"This is a lot more interesting." Yumichika interrupted with a smirk in Ichigo's direction.

"Can you all just knock it off and talk about something else?" Ichigo asked irritably, shaking his head at the others laughter. As they walked off to start training again, he sighed. "Orihime's lucky to have friends that don't annoy her as much as mine."

Toshiro chuckled at that. "To be fair, I do annoy her enough to make up for it."

That brought a smirk to Ichigo's face, as he nodded once. "True… Let's get back to training."

 **Later that evening**

"Thank you!" Orihime exclaimed after the Uber driver dropped her and Mai off at her and Ichigo's house. Over the course of the day they had picked out Mai's wedding dress and proceeded to try out different wines for the wedding. Naturally, they were a little tipsy, and it was showing as they stumbled a little on their way to the door. "It's so nice to be back on land again."

"I know the car was moving too much," Mai agreed, laughing as her eyes went to a familiar car in the driveway. "Oh look my fiance's car is here."

"Oh so is mine." Orihime said, laughing along with Mai as they got to the front door finally. As soon as they walked in the house, they got the attention of their fiancees.

Mai right away went over to where Hikari was holding Emi, and she smiled big at her daughter and Hikari. "Wow! It's so nice of you to be here waiting for me!"

Hikari smirked at Mai's overly loud exclamation, and nodded once. "I just got off work and after the voicemail you left me, I figured you might need a ride home."

Orihime, who was petting Bingo, and smiling at Mina in her carrier lost her balance a little and sat down on the floor. "Today has been a great day."

Ichigo shared a look with Hikari. "I think they are a little bit tipsy."

"I think so too," Hikari agreed, chuckling at Mai's cheerful look. "I will definitely be driving us home today."

Mai laughed as she kissed him on the cheek. "What would I do without you?"

"I got you," Orihime said, her eyes going to Mai. "You could come stay over here, and I will happily be there for you whenever."

"Oh that's so nice of you," Mai replied, laughing again as she got distracted by Bingo now. "We need to get a dog."

Hikari's eyes widened at that. "Okay, we'll talk about it. Tomorrow. After everyone has had some sleep, and a lot of coffee."

Around fifteen minutes or so passed before Hikari, Mai and Emi left to go home. Orihime was currently sitting on the steps of the back porch, watching Bingo run around the yard.

"Mina went down easily." Ichigo's voice was heard before he walked over to join her sitting on the top step. "So how are you feeling?"

"Well I probably should have stopped drinking a few hours ago," Orihime replied, sipping at her water, and smiling down at Bingo's running around. "Rukia did stop drinking a few hours ago and is probably fine. Tatsuki and Akira were way worse than Mai and I. They should be back at their apartment by now. I kind of feel bad for their uber driver though, they were singing at the top of their lungs when they left."

Ichigo laughed at that. "I could only imagine."

Smiling at his laughter, Orihime met his eyes. "After everything we did today to help Mai prepare for her wedding… It kind of got me thinking. Maybe this time next year could be our wedding."

"Really?" Ichigo asked, his smile growing. "August is a good time for us. It was a big month for us last year. Kind of what started this all."

This time Orihime was the one to laugh. "Maybe we shouldn't tell our family that we made the decision to set our wedding date based off the month we first had sex."

"Yeah maybe you're right," Ichigo agreed, laughing along with her, as wrapped his arm around her. "So this time next year, we'll be married."

Orihime kissed him, then she rested her head on his shoulder. "I can't wait."

* * *

 **A/N: So they've finally decided to get married next August. There will be so many adventures on the path to them getting to the day where they walk down the aisle. What part of wedding planning are you looking forward to? How do you think the looming threat of Aizen could affect their future?**

 **Don't forget to review, favorite, and share this story with others. Also be sure to check out my other stories.**

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 **Also be sure to check out my blog: ruby1235fanfiction. blogspot .com (no spaces)**


	9. I Know You're Lying

_Review:_

" _Really?" Ichigo asked, his smile growing. "August is a good time for us. It was a big month for us last year. Kind of what started this all."_

 _This time Orihime was the one to laugh. "Maybe we shouldn't tell our family that we made the decision to set our wedding date based off the month we first had sex."_

" _Yeah maybe you're right," Ichigo agreed, laughing along with her, as wrapped his arm around her. "So this time next year, we'll be married."_

 _Orihime kissed him, then she rested her head on his shoulder. "I can't wait."_

* * *

 **A couple weeks later, 9th of September**

"This doesn't make any sense," Ichigo said, throwing down the file they had on Aizen. "He hasn't shown up in over a month, but before that it was like he showed up every two weeks or so."

"It's possible that he went back to Hueco Mundo." Renji offered with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Why would he go back there?" Rangiku asked, an eyebrow raised. "He knows that shinigami have already infiltrated the whole compound, and I doubt he has enough arrancars to guard it."

Urahara clearing his throat kept the others from talking. "There were rumors that an arrancar was spotted in Paris by the shinigami stationed there. It's not entirely unbelievable that arrancars could be back in Hueco Mundo with Aizen."

Ichigo scowled at the idea. "So what? He's rebuilding his arm of arrancars… That's just great."

"Well it's possible that Aizen only recently got to return to Hueco Mundo," Toshiro started, getting the others to look at him. "If he was weakened to almost death, he may have been stuck in the human world for those few months after Orihime taking down his arrancars and him. With his recent absence, I would say that he finally found his way back to Hueco Mundo or another space to hide out in."

Yoruichi nodded in agreement. "That would make sense. He's more vulnerable in the human world, and if he's still recovering it would be ideal that he could return to Hueco Mundo."

"Regardless on if he's here or Hueco Mundo, I wish we could just find him. I feel like we're just sitting around and waiting for him to show up and go after Orihime and Mina again!" Ichigo snapped, then he immediately sighed at his frustration. "Sorry, I'm just a little tired. Sleep has been nearly impossible this past week. We're trying to transition Mina to sleep in her crib in the nursery, and not in her bassinet in our room. It has not been going well."

Isshin nodded at his son's clear look of exhaustion. "Your mother and I had no issues with you or with Karin, but Yuzu wasn't making the transition that pleasant. We started off just getting her to take naps in the nursery, then transitioned her to sleeping in there at night too."

"We'll try anything at this point..." Ichigo trailed off, before he stood up. "Let's go train or something. I need to do something productive today."

 **A half hour later, Rin's House**

"I love your new house." Orihime gushed, as she finished putting away plates into the kitchen cabinets from the last box in the kitchen.

Rin appeared from the laundry room, as she had been washing some new washcloths they had bought. "It was time for us to move out of my tiny apartment. With Raya getting older, I think having more room would be nice."

Raya ran into the room from the open front door, and stopped in the middle of the kitchen. The fairy costume sparkling, as she spun in a circle. "Will you play fairies with me Orihime?"

"I would love to Raya, but I have to go run some errands," Orihime replied, offering her niece a smile. "I'd really appreciate if you'd help your mom watch Mina and Bingo for me while I'm gone."

"I can help!" Raya exclaimed, then her eyes went to Bingo. "Come on Bingo, let's go play!"

Raya took off to the backyard this time with Bingo following right behind her. Rin could see the worry on Orihime's face, as she waved it off. "Don't worry. We got the rest of the fence up back there today, so he can't run off."

Orihime's worried look disappeared and was replaced with a smile. "Thanks for watching them. I know you and Kei are pretty busy getting the last of your stuff moved in."

"Well these are the last of the boxes," Kei's voice was heard, before he walked through the open front door. He closed it with his foot, then set the boxes down by the stairs. "We're just waiting on a few bigger furniture pieces to arrive, but my brother and his wife are going to come by and help us with those."

"Okay, well tell them we will happily buy them dinner tonight," Rin said, then her eyes moved to Orihime. "I think we owe you and Ichigo dinners for the rest of the month."

While that made Orihime laugh, Kei nodded in agreement with Rin. "With you two letting Raya spend the night over at yours and Ichigo's house for the past few nights, it has been extremely helpful. We were able to focus on getting things packed up and moved over smoothly."

"That's what family is for," Orihime said, offering them a smile, as her eyes moved to Rin's hand, where a shiny new ring was. "I can't believe you two are engaged, it's still so new."

"Well it's new to you because we just told you and Ichigo this morning when you brought Raya back over here," Rin said, as she glanced down to the ring on her hand, then to Orihime. "I'm really happy."

Stepping closer, Orihime hugged Rin. "I'm really happy for you."

Kei, who had been watching the back door at the sound of Raya singing and Bingo barking, glanced back over to them with a smirk on his face. "Are you two going to start crying again? I thought we went through this earlier this morning."

As Rin and Orihime broke their hug, Rin stuck out her tongue in Kei's direction. "I still have plenty of people I have to tell, and there are many more tears to be shed."

"I was the same way after Ichigo and I got engaged. Of course I also recently had a baby around the same time, so I'm not really sure how much of that was due to my crazy hormones," Orihime replied, as she grabbed her purse. "On another note, I have to get going. I should be back in two or three hours."

"Have fun-" Rin broke off when the sound of Mina crying was heard, and she just turned to go pick her up. Seeing the hesitation in Orihime's eyes, she waved her away. "I got this. I do remember when Raya was this young."

Smiling, Orihime nodded, as she turned to go to the front door. "Thanks again."

 **An hour later, Rosehaven**

Taking a long sip of her coffee, Orihime eyed the Rose Hill Coffee symbol on the side of the cup. Letting the flavor of the coffee really hit her, she sighed, and let her eyes move back to the sidewalk. She was parked in one of the parallel parking spots on the main street of Rosehaven.

"Where are you Aizen?" She asked allowed to the empty car, her eyes going back to her laptop where she eyed the folder that held all of the notes she had since she found out Aizen was alive again. Even though there hasn't been anything new on Aizen or the woman he had been traveling with, she had been back to Rosehaven once every two weeks or so. Attempting to get to know some of the locals to see if it'll ever lead her to figure out why he was in this town specifically.

Her phone chiming was heard, and she looked down to see it was a calendar notification. Shutting her laptop, she slipped it in her bag, then she got out of the car. She was meeting with one of the locals for lunch today to see if they might know anything, or know anyone that knows anything about Aizen. After closing the car door, she smoothed down her hair and jacket, and lastly finished her coffee. _Let's do this._

 **A few hours later**

Standing outside the door of Mina's nursery, Orihime and Ichigo were listening to the sound of their daughter crying from inside. Ichigo's hand was inching to the doorknob, but Orihime was quick to stop him. "Ichigo, we have to let her cry it out."

"This is clearly not working," Ichigo replied, as he crossed his arms. "We've been at this for nearly twenty minutes, and she's obviously not going to sleep."

"It's only been ten minutes, and that's hardly even trying it out," Orihime pointed out, as she sighed. "She'll tire herself out, and go to sleep."

Ichigo was quiet for barely another couple minutes, before he uncrossed his arms. "This isn't working."

Propping her hands on her hips, Orihime narrowed her eyes at his disapproving look. "Ichigo, she's got to learn to sleep in their eventually."

"I get that, but it must be too early to start doing this. She's clearly not happy-"

"Of course she's not happy Ichigo," Orihime interrupted with a scowl. "She's been sleeping in our room in her bassinet every night since she's been born. Remember the first time she ever slept over at your dad's house. Karin said that she had trouble getting her used to it, but eventually she was able to go to sleep."

"That's only because she is really good with kids." Ichigo said, matching Orihime's scowl with his own.

Shaking her head, Orihime crossed her arms. "That's not the point Ichigo. We're good parents to Mina. She will be fine."

"I don't think so," Ichigo disagreed, as he motioned to the door. "It's obviously not working, as she's still in there crying. I know you have this idea in your head that this is just going to magically work, but it's not."

"Really? It was just my idea?" Orihime countered, completely appalled at how he seemed to be blaming her.

"I'm going to go get her, and we can just try this again in a month or two-" Ichigo stopped when the sound of Mina's crying finally came to a stop.

Orihime held up the video baby monitor, that gave them a look into Mina's nursery, and then she turned it around so Ichigo could see it. "Look, she tired herself out and she's asleep. Like I said."

Ichigo was quiet for a long moment, as Orihime looked at him with a deep frown on her face. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been so quick to try and give in. We both agreed to do this."

Finally, Orihime's frown softened, and she sighed. "I know it's hard to hear her upset, but it'll be good for her to have her own space in the nursery. She won't be woken up if we have to get up early, or Bingo decides to randomly start barking at something that doesn't actually exist."

"I know," Ichigo said, then he hugged her and kissed the top of her head. "Maybe we should take this opportunity to get some sleep ourselves."

"I think that's a great idea." Orihime agreed, as they broke apart from their hug. _After spending nearly an hour and a half in traffic on the way back from Rosehaven, then on the way back from bringing Mina and Bingo home, I could use a nap._

 **An hour and a half later**

Opening her eyes at Ichigo moving off the bed, Orihime stretched, and sat up. "Ichigo?"

"Hey," Ichigo started, as he put his phone back in his pocket. He was now in his shinigami form. "I know this is last minute, but Renji called and asked if I could come watch him try out this new thing he's been working on."

Orihime raised an eyebrow, as she eyed him. "And you're already in your shinigami form? You usually drive over to Urahara's and change there."

Ichigo paused, as that clearly took him off guard. However, he was was quick to nod, as he walked over to her side of the bed. "Well we aren't going to Urahara's, and we're meeting nearby so I figured I could just go from here."

"Okay…" Orihime trailed off, as she got a notification on her phone. It was a line she had from inside Urahara's that gave her a notification if they mentioned anything about Aizen or arrancars. Apparently, an arrancar had appeared about ten minutes away. _That's where he's going._ Her eyes went back to Ichigo. "So how long are you going to be out training with Renji?"

"I don't know. An hour maybe," Ichigo said, then he kissed her. "I'll be back."

"Alright." Orihime replied, watching as Ichigo left the room. _He just straight up lied to my face. Again._ Feeling a little irritated, she got up and went to go get Mina from the nursery. A plan beginning to form in her head.

Almost twenty minutes later, she stopped her about fifty feet from a cliff that overlooked a small ravine. Looking back in the mirror at where Mina was asleep in her carrier, Orihime left her car running to make sure it was warm enough for Mina, as the temperature was falling as it was getting later in the day. She was in the middle of the small forested area in Karakura Town, but this was where the arrancar had been. She had quickly picked up on Ichigo's spiritual energy, and started towards it. Reaching the top of the ravine, she moved to shield herself from view behind a tree, and she peeked around to look down in the ravine.

Sure enough, Ichigo was down there, and re-sheathing his zanpakuto. Renji was also down there, along with Rukia, Rangiku, Toshiro, and Rin. Seeing Rin and Toshiro down there had Orihime raising an eyebrow. _You've got to be kidding me. Rin and Toshiro know and they didn't tell me._

Feeling her anger strike up again, she pulled up her phone and marked on the map where exactly they were. It was the same app the shinigami use to know when a hollow shows up, and she wanted to know on her own the next time there is any spiritual activity in the area. Taking one last look down at the others, she turned and went back to the car. Once inside, she looked back at Mina who was still fast asleep, and she sighed. Putting her car back in drive, she started to drive back in the direction of the house. Her frown still big on her face.

 **Almost an hour later**

Finishing up eating dinner, Orihime was focused on her laptop when she heard the front door open. Her eyes briefly went to the door, then to Mina who was asleep in her rocker sleeper next to her chair at the table. Bingo was playing with one of his toys underneath the table..

"Hey." Ichigo greeted Orihime, as he walked over. He leaned over to kiss the top of her head.

Feeling her irritation come back, Orihime held her lips tightly together at first, then she sighed. "Hey."

Ichigo went upstairs to go back to his body, and when he returned he moved into the kitchen to get dinner off the stove. "How was it here while I was gone?"

"It was fine, I just made dinner," Orihime replied, closing her laptop, as she got up to put her dishes from dinner away. "How was training with Renji?"

"Oh it was pretty good," Ichigo finished up getting dinner, and moved to sit down at the kitchen table. His eyes going to Mina in her rocker sleeper, then to Bingo who immediately sat up to see what he had. "Renji's new move is okay, but I could probably do it better."

Orihime shut the dishwasher a little harsher than she meant to, and that got Ichigo to look back at her. She felt her anger spark up again. "So is that what you're going to go with?"

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry. What are we talking about now?"

Clenching and unclenching her jaw, Orihime crossed her arms over her chest. "That's the story you're going to go with. That you went to go train with Renji."

Ichigo seemed to be taken a little aback by her words, as he nodded. "I told you that's what I was going to do. You acknowledged that before I left-"

"I know you're lying to me Ichigo," Orihime interrupted, snapping finally as she went over to pick up her laptop and phone from the table. Her eyes meeting his. "You were not meeting with Renji to go train tonight. I'm not stupid, I know you're lying. I knew before you left the damn house."

As Orihime turned to go upstairs, Ichigo stood up from the table. "Orihime-"

"I don't want to hear it!" Orihime exclaimed, as she started up the stairs. Once in their bedroom, she slammed the door shut, and went to draw a bath.

Downstairs, Ichigo was frozen to the spot, and after the door was slammed upstairs, Mina started crying and Bingo started barking. He quickly picked up Mina to try and soothe her, and toss Bingo's toy to try and distract him. His eyes going up to the ceiling at the sound of bath water running upstairs. _Damn it._

 **An hour later**

Having taken an hour long bath to mellow down, Orihime finally came back downstairs. Ignoring the fact that Ichigo was over on the couch, she just focused on grabbing her purse from the counter. "I'll be back."

Ichigo paused the television and sat up to look at her. "I think we should talk."

"Are you going to tell me where you really were tonight?" Orihime countered, as she met his eyes. When he hesitated to say anything, she shook her head. "Wrong answer."

"Orihime." Ichigo started, but he tried not to move anymore as Mina stirred a little in his arms.

"Honestly Ichigo, I don't want to hear whatever excuse you're going to make up." Orihime walked over, and leaned over to kiss the top of Mina's head. Turning away, she walked to the front door without giving Ichigo a second glance.

"Where exactly are you-" Ichigo broke off when he was interrupted by the front door shutting closed. "Going."

 **A little over a half hour later**

Sensing an arrancar caught Orihime's attention shortly after she left the house, and it was showing up right around the same spot as earlier. As soon as she got close, she stopped her car, and changed into her shinigami form. Taking off to the ravine, she unsheathed her zanpakuto, and started to attack. It was a similar combination of the move she had used to mass take out all of the arrancars and severely injure Aizen. After having been training with Yoruichi, she could now do the move without nearly as much strength required, and she could now do it one after the other. In this case, the arrancar was tricky and avoided her first couple strikes, but the third one hit. Taking off the arm of the arrancar, she then aimed for the leg, and finally the kill hit in its chest.

To her surprise, another attack after her last one also appeared to hit the arrancar. It came from above, and she looked up out of the ravine and at first she saw white hair, then the turquoise eyes became more obvious in the moonlight.

Toshiro watched her for a long moment, then he re-sheathed his own zanpakuto. "What are you doing here?"

Orihime climbed out of the ravine, and stopped a few feet from him. "Taking care of an arrancar."

"How did you know it'd be here?" Toshiro asked, an eyebrow raised. "It takes nearly twenty minutes from your house to get here, and I just happened to be nearby when this happened."

"Because it's the same area where the arrancar appeared earlier," Orihime narrowed her eyes at the raised eyebrow on Toshiro's face. "I don't know why you look so confused."

Toshiro was quiet for a moment, then he shook his head. "How did you know that the arrancars were here in Karakura Town-"

"Because I'm not a blind moron!" Orihime exclaimed back, now just pissed, as she punched his shoulder. "I know that you and everyone else thinks that I'm dumb enough to trust your word that everything is okay, but I can promise you that I'm a hell of a lot smarter than to trust any of you to tell me the truth for once!"

Toshiro's eyes were wide, as he held up his hands. "Orihime-"

"What? Are you going to tell me that it was for my own good? For my protection?" Orihime asked, her eyes lit up, as she was livid. "You told Ichigo back at the beginning of July! Does he not need protection? Or is it just because in everyone's eyes I'm still the weak damsel in distress who Aizen got to the first time?!"

Toshiro could very well tell that Orihime was close to tears. Taking a deep breath, he spoke up. "I don't know what to tell you."

"Well that's too bad, because we're going to talk about it," Orihime said, reaching forward and taking him by the arm. "All of it."

 **Over by the car**

Toshiro was leaning against the hood of the car, and Orihime was finishing getting back in her body. She picked up her phone to see missed calls and texts from Ichigo, but she just threw the phone back in the car and shut the door. Walking back to the front of the car, she paced for a moment, then stopped with her eyes on Toshiro.

"You've know since the beginning of July?"

"I was suspicious at the end of June actually," Orihime replied honestly. "I didn't find out you told Ichigo in July until much later on. Apparently right before you told him, he had been video chatting Karin, and he didn't completely shut it off. She heard you telling Ichigo, and she confirmed it for sure for me."

Toshiro sighed at that news, and rubbed his temples. "So Karin has known for that long too?"

Orihime nodded back. "To be honest, she said that she's been suspicious for longer, but it was confirmed when she saw the clip."

"She hasn't said anything about it to me..." Toshiro trailed off, and frowned at Orihime's look. "Because you told her not to."

"How does it feel?"

Toshiro kept Orihime's eyes for a long moment. "I wasn't supposed to even tell Ichigo. We were going to leave you both out of it, but I broke and went to tell Ichigo anyway. I wanted to tell you too, but Ichigo didn't want to."

Orihime scoffed at his excuse. "Would it have really been so terrible that you just told me anyway? Is it because I can't handle it?"

"It's not that-"

"Really? Because you lied to my face!" Orihime exclaimed interrupting him. "It was the end of June, I asked you to your face if you would tell me if there was anything to worry about, and you told me that you would."

"That wasn't a lie! There hasn't been anything concrete to worry about," Toshiro shot back, as he lifted both hands up. "It's been a guessing game, and I figured it'd be best to warn you if there was an actual threat."

Finally, Orihime went quiet, and she met his eyes again. "You still should have told me."

Toshiro ran his hands through his hair, and exhaled deeply. "I know, and I regret that I didn't. I do see the potential in you that people sometimes overlook, and I know that you are strong and can handle pretty much anything thrown your way."

With that said, Orihime finally leaned back against the hood of the car beside him, and she looked down at the ground. "I'm sorry I punched you."

Toshiro hummed, as he rubbed the spot where she hit him. "No worries. I'll just ice it when I get back to my apartment, and hopefully, nobody will ask why I have a giant bruise on my shoulder for the next few days."

Orihime offered a half-smile, then she frowned again. "I don't want Ichigo to know that I know."

"After everything you just told me about us not telling you about everything, you think that's a good idea?"

"I caught him blatantly lying to me today about him going after that arrancar earlier. He told me he was going to train with Renji. I gave him plenty of opportunities to tell me the truth on what he was actually doing, but he still didn't tell me. Even after I called him out on lying, he still wouldn't tell me..." Orihime trailed off, and felt a little bitterness in her heart. "He's got to be the one to come clean to me. If he doesn't… I don't know."

Toshiro cleared his throat after a moment. "It's getting pretty late. I already told the others that I was the one going after the arrancar, so no one should be showing up here. But I wouldn't push it."

"Yeah I guess," Orihime said, as she straightened up from the car. "As mad as I am at Ichigo right now, I do miss my baby and my furbaby."

"And I have to go home and figure out how I'm going to approach Karin about all this, and hope she's not going to be too mad that I haven't told her any of this." Toshiro straightened up from the car as well.

"She'll probably be mad at first, but you'll be fine," Orihime started, her eyes meeting his. "Want a ride to your car?"

Toshiro nodded, and started over to the passenger side of the car. "That'd be great."

As Orihime got in on the driver's side, she picked up her phone, and scowled at all the texts and calls from Ichigo. "This is ridiculous."

Toshiro noticed the number of texts and missed calls on Orihime's phone, and he shrugged. "He's just worried."

"I know..." Orihime trailed off, as she put on her seatbelt and started the car. _And I'm going to go home and tell him that I love him, and we're going to move on. Even if things go back to normal… I know that this isn't going to end well._

* * *

 **A/N: So Aizen hasn't shown up in a while, and it's starting to make everyone a little antsy. Orihime and Ichigo finally start the process of transitioning Mina into her nursery, and it seemed to start problems between Orihime and Ichigo. It didn't help that just an hour or so later they are find more problems arise with the appearance of an arrancar. The night ends with Orihime pissed at Ichigo, and finally admitting to Toshiro that she has known about Aizen all this time. What was your favorite part of the chapter?**

 **Don't forget to review, favorite, and share this story with others. Also be sure to check out my other stories.**

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	10. Normal Feels Nice

_Review:_

 _As Orihime got in on the drivers side, she picked up her phone, and scowled at all the texts and calls from Ichigo. "This is ridiculous."_

 _Toshiro noticed the amount of texts and missed calls on Orihime's phone, and he shrugged. "He's just worried."_

" _I know..." Orihime trailed off, as she put on her seat belt and started the car. And I'm going to go home and tell him that I love him, and we're going to move on. Even if things go back to normal… I know that this isn't going to end well._

* * *

 **Two and a half weeks later, September 26th**

Mina's crying lifted into the air again, and Orihime cradled her daughter to her chest. "I'm so sorry that you're hurting baby girl."

They had gone to bed at ten only to be woken up just after eleven at Mina crying. She started showing signs of teething last week, and now at four and a half months old she was in in the full swing of teething.

"Got it," Ichigo's voice was heard, then he walked into their bedroom. Handing over one of Mina's teething rings, before sitting back on the bed. "Fresh out of the refrigerator, and shouldn't be too cold for her. I put more in there too."

Once Orihime let Mina have her teething ring, her crying slowed to a whimper, then she finally seemed to be soothed down. Seeing this relief, Orihime took in a deep breath.

"This has been pretty rough." Ichigo spoke up after a moment of silence.

"I know," Orihime agreed, as she rubbed Mina's back a little. "It's tough seeing her in so much pain, and not being able to just take it away. She has been much clingier lately too. Always wanting to be held. Which I'm not complaining about-"

"I know what you mean," Ichigo interrupted with a nod. "It's like we can't even put her down and step away from her for more than a minute before she starts up."

"I hope it starts to get easier for her. I feel so bad, because we can't do much to help her."

Ichigo nodded in agreement with Orihime, as they fell into silence again. His eyes trailing down towards the foot of the bed where Bingo was fast asleep. "I would like to know how in the world he sleeps through all of this."

Orihime chuckled, as she looked to Bingo as well. "I just want to know what it feels like to be able to sleep in general."

That made them both laugh this time. When their laughter settled, Ichigo motioned to Mina. "I can take over if you want to try to get some sleep. There's no telling when she'll finally fall asleep, and if at least one of us is functioning normally tomorrow morning then we'll be okay."

Smiling back at him, Orihime looked down to Mina who's head was resting on her chest, and she was still using the teething ring to soothe her. "I don't mind taking the first shift."

"Well, you have to go meet Toshiro tomorrow don't you?"

"Yeah, but-"

"No buts. At this rate, if we do it right, you might possibly get at least four to five hours of sleep," Ichigo interrupted, then he reached over to carefully take Mina from Orihime. She started to get a little fussy at first, but after he cradled her to his chest and re-adjusted the teething ring to a cooler side, she soothed back down. Standing up from the bed, he met Orihime's eyes again. "I think I'm going to go rock her in the rocking chair in the nursery, and see if that'll get her to sleep."

"I'll cross my fingers," Orihime replied, sitting up a bit more as Ichigo leaned over to kiss her, before she laid back on the bed. "Don't forget to wake me up if she doesn't end up going to sleep. I'm more than happy to take my shift early."

"You just focus on getting some sleep," Ichigo replied, as he leaned over to kiss her again. Turning off the light, he turned and walked out of the room and into the nursery. Flipping on the nightlight in the room, before he settled in the rocking chair. Starting it back and forth, he closed watched Mina for a while, then closed his eyes. _Hopefully, she'll get some relief from the pains of teething, and get some sleep tonight._

 **The next day**

After propping her chin on her hand, Orihime could feel her eyelids slowly drooping shut.

"You know, we don't have to hang out today."

Forcing her eyes open to meet Toshiro's, Orihime had to try to hide her yawn. "No, I want to. It's been way too long."

"It hasn't been _that_ long. We saw each other a few days ago."

"I mean when it's been just the two of us, and not everyone else we know," Orihime replied with a laugh. "You're a whole lot busier now that you have a girlfriend."

Toshiro had to fight a grin appearing on his face at the sight of the one on hers. "Should we be talking about this?

"Why wouldn't we talk about it?" Orihime countered, pouring herself a cup of tea after the teapot was set on the table. They were enjoying some tea at the place she and Toshiro would go to sometimes. "Usually friends can share things with each other… The few times we've hung out over the past couple months, you don't really talk about it much."

"I don't know, I guess it's been kind of uncertain territory," Toshiro said, noticing how that had Orihime raising an eyebrow. "I mean with Karin being Ichigo's sister, I think it's just… different. I know Ichigo is coming around to the idea, but I don't really think we should push it."

Orihime still kept her happy smile on her face. "Well, he's going to have to fully come around to the idea, because I don't think it's just going to go away… Is it?"

That brought a smile back to Toshiro's face. "No, at least not from my end."

"I wouldn't worry about Karin's end either," Orihime replied with a chuckle. "Every time I go see her, she gets this little smile on her face everytime she gets a text from you. It's so cute! You totally are the same way with her too."

Toshiro coughed after a moment of his smile growing. "Changing the subject… You look like you might fall asleep again. Maybe we shouldn't be drinking tea."

"Well I can't say I'm not tired," Orihime said, accepting the change of subject. "Mina started teething last week, and it's been a lot. Last night, Ichigo spent most of the night up with her screaming. The night before that it was me. Then the night before that it was both of us… Actually it was a few nights of both of us."

"Should you have drove us over here?" Toshiro asked, a smirk appearing.

"I did get some sleep last night. Sure it was only a few hours, but it was sleep-" Orihime broke off as her phone buzzed. She picked it up to see a text from Ichigo.

 _Ichigo: Got her to sleep without having to hold her._

Orihime smiled at that, and texted him back, success! Her eyes went to Toshiro, after she put her phone down. "Ichigo apparently got Mina to sleep without having to hold her. Which is a pretty big deal as we haven't gone over five days without one of us holding her almost all the time."

"We should celebrate. Maybe with donuts?" Toshiro pointed on the menu. "They have glazed donuts on the menu."

"Yes, that would be great right now." Orihime agreed, feeling a little bit happier at the thought of the sweet dessert.

After Toshiro ordered them some donuts, he raised an eyebrow in Orihime's direction. "So everything's really back to normal between you two. We haven't really got to talk one on one about it since everything happened."

Orihime shrugged at the thought. "I guess so. I was mad at him for a few days, but it just kind of faded away and we moved on… He never admitted to me what he was doing, but at this point, I was expecting him to."

"Well, you never know."

"Yeah but I'd rather us be happy than fighting… Although it seems like that is just delaying the inevitable explosion that's going to happen whenever everything is laid out in the open."

"Well let's hope it's not that big of an explosion," Toshiro winked at her, his eyes going over to the waitress who brought over there entrees and donuts. "Donuts or brunch first?"

"Donuts of course," Orihime was already grabbing a donut, and as soon as she took a bite she hummed happily. "This is so good."

 **Later that evening**

"Oh my goodness, his eyes are just so green," Orihime said, smiling as she watched Hiroko in her arms. The little baby waved his arm up above his head. "Kira I can't handle his cuteness."

Kira smiled as she leaned back against the counter top. "I can't either, so you can imagine the high I've been living off of since he was born."

"Same with Mina." Orihime laughed, as she looked towards the back porch where more laughter was heard. Ichigo was out there with their other friends. They had their out of town friends over for the weekend, and it was nice to have everyone back together again.

"How has the teething process been for you?" Kira asked, getting Orihime's focus again. "Hiroko has either been in teething pain, or when he's not, he has to be attached to one of us almost 24/7."

Orihime nodded and leaned back against the cabinet. "Pretty much the same. It seemed she just started sleeping through the night a couple weeks ago in her nursery, and then when she started teething that kind of went out the window. Along with us sleeping as well."

"I know. I think the most I sleep every night is probably four hours if I'm lucky," Kira chuckled, as she motioned to the back porch. "We are lucky that we live so close to Michi and Hayate live so close to us and offered to let us ride with them over here. I don't think Ryuu and I should be driving when we are so sleep deprived."

The sound of Mina crying in the baby monitor had Orihime straightening. "Well-"

Ichigo walking inside cut Orihime off, and he reached over to grab the baby monitor. "I'll go get her. You can just go outside and enjoy some time with our friends."

"Oh I am," Orihime said, holding up Hiroko a little. "I am enjoying time with our littlest friend."

Ichigo chuckled before he jogged up the stairs to go get Mina.

"I'll grab us some beers, and we can go outside." Kira said, as she walked over to the refrigerator.

As Orihime and Kira walked out onto the back porch, Ryuu reached over to get Hiroko back from Orihime, as they sat down. "I was wondering when we'd see you two again."

Kira smiled at Ryuu's words. "You could see us through the window."

"It's very different with the in-person experience." Ryuu replied, smiling as he leaned over to kiss Kira's cheek.

"We're actually about to play some poker," Keitaro said, watching Kimi shuffle the cards, then he focused back on Orihime and Kira. "You two in?"

"Absolutely." Orihime replied, as Kira nodded.

Ichigo appeared back outside in a few minutes after grabbing a bottle for Mina from the refrigerator. His eyes drifted over to Ryuu and Hiroko, where Hiroko appeared to be falling asleep. "You can go set up Hiroko's travel crib in Mina's nursery if you want. We have the video baby monitor, so you can keep an eye on him."

"Thanks, I think I'll go ahead and do that."

After Ryuu stood up, Kira set her beer down and got up as well. "I'll help you with that."

It wasn't until after Ryuu and Kira went inside that Hayate chuckled. "So are we going to start this poker game soon?"

Michi lightly smacked his arm at that. "Hayate," she started, as she looked at the others. "Don't let him make you feel bad. We may not have kids ourselves, but we certainly understand that they take priority over a poker game."

Hayate shrunk back a little at Michi's glare. "I'm sorry, okay? I'm just impatient like usual."

"I know."

Orihime laughed after Michi spoke. "Don't worry about offending us. We understand that not everyone is a parent or wants to be a parent… So how's college life?"

"Great so far. Sophomore year is a lot sooner than my freshman year was," Michi replied, then she sighed and took a sip of her beer. "However, I still haven't decided on a major, but I have another semester or two before I really have to pick one."

"I did pick a major. I'm thinking about going into marketing," Hayate added, as he started to deal out cards. Making sure to include where Ryuu and Kira had been sitting. "Ideally sports marketing, but that's going to be more of a focus at the end of my college career."

"What about you two?" Ichigo asked Kimi and Keitaro. "You just started college at the beginning of the month right? Tatsuki and Akira just started it at Karakura University and love it. Uryu is actually studying at Windsworth as well and he hasn't said too much about it."

"It's been pretty great actually," Kimi replied, a smile at the thought. "I have no clue what I want to major in, but so far my general education classes have been interesting."

Keitaro shrugged after the others eyes went to him. "I'm not that into the college experience, but I'm going to work on getting a business degree. My family is big on travel destination real estate, and if I finish college I might be able to do something like that."

"Our friend Chad wasn't really too keen on the idea of college either. He went straight into working at his dad's construction company, but he might try to go to college in a couple years or so." Ichigo added, finishing up with Mina's bottle, he set it down and adjusted her to burp her.

"We know Kira and Ryuu are both planning on starting college in the Spring, but what about you two?" Michi countered, an eyebrow raised. "Last time we talked, you two really weren't set on anything."

"Well, I don't think it's in our cards right now… At least not in the next couple years. Maybe in the future though." Orihime replied with a shrug.

Ichigo nodded in agreement with Orihime. "Yeah our jobs right now are flexible and they pay pretty well. So we're not really focused on college at the moment."

Orihime smiled when Ichigo winked at her. _He's not wrong. Our assignments for the Soul Society have paid pretty well._

Kira and Ryuu came back outside and sat back down. Ryuu reaching for the pile of cards that had been dealt out. "Let's get this game started."

Kira grabbed her beer and took a sip. "It'll be nice to sit down for just a few minutes without having to get up again."

"I know the feeling." Orihime agreed, as she picked up her beer and cheered with Kira before taking a sip herself.

 **Later that night**

"Oh it's so nice to catch up with our friends. It's nice to do something normal." Orihime said, as she rested back against the pillows. She and Ichigo finally got into bed after putting Mina down in her crib in the nursery.

"I agree. Normal feels nice. We should do this more often," Ichigo crossed his arms back behind his head. "It is also nice to have training off this past week and not have any assignments to go on. We really needed the break."

"Yeah especially with Mina having been teething. I couldn't imagine not getting sleep and having to train and go on assignment. I am so glad Kira taught us that little trick to help get Mina to sleep easier tonight without any teething drama." Orihime said, reaching up to pull her hair out of its ponytail.

That seemed to get Ichigo's attention, as he reached over to rest his hand on her waist. "Maybe that means she will stay asleep for longer stretches tonight."

Orihime's eyes met Ichigo's, and the suggestive look in his eye made her smile. Sitting up, she slipped a leg over him, and moved so she was more on top of him. She kissed him once, and when their kiss broke she smiled. "We just have to make sure we don't wake her up then."

"I think we can manage that." Ichigo said, his hands gently sliding up her thighs, as they kissed again.

This time when they broke their kiss, Orihime slipped her hands under her pajama top, and pulled it off before going back to kiss him.

 **A couple days later, Monday the 29th**

"It sucks that you all have to go home tomorrow." Orihime said, picking up her glass from the table, and taking a sip. They were out to dinner at a small restaurant that was usually quieter, and it was much appreciated as both Mina and Hiroko were sleeping.

"We'll have to get together again soon," Michi replied, sipping her glass of wine. "The next available time Hayate and I have would probably be around Fall break in November."

Ryuu shared a look with Kira. "We could do something at the end of that week probably. The beginning of the week we have plans with our family."

Keitaro nodded, as he motioned to. "Same for us."

"We don't have plans that week yet, so it's up to you all," Ichigo said, glancing over to Orihime. "I would say we could try some weekend in October, but that's a busy month for us with work and taking care of Mina and Bingo."

"Yeah, and we have Mai and Hikari's wedding to attend at the end of the month too." Orihime added, a smile on her face at the thought.

"Oh yes, I remember you saying something about that when we were talking on the phone last week," Kira said, propping her chin on her hand. "How is she and Hikari doing? How's their daughter?"

Ichigo's eyes moved away from the others as Orihime replied back to Kira, and he focused down to where Mina was fast asleep in her carrier. Hiroko's carrier sat right beside hers, and he had fallen asleep too. _It's been kind of_ _nice having everyone over this weekend. Kira had some good ideas on helping manage Mina's teething, and she's been sleeping a lot better now._

"Ichigo?" Orihime questioned, an eyebrow raised at his lost in thought expression. The others were in the process of ordering their food, and she motioned to the menu. "Do you know what you want?"

"Yeah," Ichigo reached over to wrap an arm around her, and he kissed her cheek. "It's been a nice weekend. Tomorrow starts us back with our busy schedules of training and assignments."

Orihime smiled back at him. "It's nice to take some time off here and there, but at least we both enjoy our work."

"Hey," Kira's voice caught their attention, as she motioned to the waitress. "It's your turn."

Ichigo and Orihime shared one last look, before focusing on ordering their food.

 **A little over two weeks later, 14th of October**

"So how is school going?" Orihime asked, smiling in Karin and Yuzu's direction across the table.

"It's been good," Karin replied after Yuzu didn't say anything. "I have a test on Friday that I've been studying for."

Isshin raised an eyebrow, as Yuzu's eyes were focused down on her phone where she was texting. "What about you Yuzu? I haven't seen you studying lately."

"She has a different history class than I do, and I don't have a test in that class this week-"

"Actually the test I'm talking about is for math," Karin interrupted, an eyebrow raised. "A class we have together."

"You really have to study that much for math? I don't need to study. It's so easy." Yuzu shot back, still not looking up from her phone.

Karin laughed sarcastically, as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Right well I would hope so for you, because you're going to need an A to make up for not turning in your homework assignments."

That finally made Yuzu look up from her phone to glare at Karin. "So I've missed a few. It's none of your business," she said, moving to stand up, as she grabbed her plate and drink. "I'm going to finish my dinner out on the back porch."

They were met with silence after Yuzu walked out on the back porch, and slid the door closed. Orihime hummed lowly, as her eyes went back to the others. "I'm sorry I asked."

Ichigo, however, only laughed as his eyes went from the back door to Karin. "It seems like you and Yuzu get along better and better each time we come over here."

"A lot has changed since you lived here Ichigo."

"I bet dad misses me."

"Well that makes one person who would miss you living here."

Karin's words had Ichigo laughing, and she even broke into a laugh herself.

Isshin shook his head at the two. "See that was easy. You two can just joke around like that, and it not be anything. Then when it's Karin and Yuzu-"

"Dad, that's completely different. Yuzu and I are the same age." Karin interrupted.

Isshin held up a hand, and had to hold back laughter. "I stand corrected."

A buzz or chime came from their phones apart from Karin's. Ichigo read the text on his phone. "It's from Urahara."

"He wants us to come over." Orihime added, an eyebrow raised at Isshin getting the text too.

"I can watch Mina and Bingo for you two," Karin offered, motioning down to where Bingo was chewing on his toy under the table. "Bingo's got his toy to keep him busy, and Mina's sleeping so it'll be perfect for me to continue to study."

As they all got up to put their shoes on, Ichigo's eyes glanced from Orihime to his dad. "I wonder why Urahara wants us all to go."

Isshin shrugged, as he checked for his keys. "I don't know, but I think I might take a separate car than you two. Because if it goes like usual, I'll probably be leaving sooner than you two."

"That'll be fine," Orihime said, grabbing her purse, as they left outside. "I hope this won't take long. I really didn't plan on doing anything shinigami related for the next couple days, as it seems we've been so busy with it all the past almost two weeks."

"I'm sure it won't take long." Ichigo replied, offering her a smile as they left to go outside after his dad.

 **Urahara's**

"So what's going on?" Isshin asked as he, Orihime and Ichigo joined the others in the main room at Urahara's. Their friends there as well.

"Well, I've come across some information that I think everyone here should know," Urahara started, his eyes going to Orihime here. "It's relating to Aizen."

Ichigo's eyes widened at Urahara bringing this up in front of Orihime. "Wait a min-"

"Ichigo," Urahara interrupted, holding a hand up to stop Ichigo from speaking further. His eyes remaining focused on Orihime. "I've had a team looking over security footage from popular shops and businesses in Rosehaven to see if we could find him or the woman he's been traveling with to see what they've been doing there. We were looking over the footage from the last few months, and we stopped on footage from the end of July. In the Rosehill Coffee House."

No one said anything, as everyone's eyes were following Urahara's gaze in Orihime's direction. Orihime, on the other hand, didn't say a word, as she crossed her arms.

When Orihime still didn't say anything, Urahara turned to grab the remote for the TV up on the wall to turn it on. There showed footage from the coffee shop, and it seemed like business as usual.

"Why are we-"

"Wait for it." Urahara interrupted Renji, as his eyes remained focused on Orihime while the others looked to the screen. It took a long moment, but finally, someone entering the shop with long orange hair caught their eye. Then she turned to face the counter to order, revealing it to be Orihime.

* * *

 **A/N: Well… It looks like they are all going to be on the same page now.**

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	11. Broken

_Review:_

 _When Orihime still didn't say anything, Urahara turned to grab the remote for the TV up on the wall to turn it on. There showed footage from the coffee shop, and it seemed like business as usual._

" _Why are we-"_

" _Wait for it." Urahara interrupted Renji, as his eyes remained focused on Orihime while the others looked to the screen. It took a long moment, but finally someone entering the shop with long orange hair caught their eye. Then she turned to face the counter to order, revealing it to be Orihime._

* * *

 **Continued On**

Everyone's eyes remained glued on Orihime, who didn't say anything. Finally, Ichigo turned more towards her. "Orihime?"

Orihime remained quiet, closed her eyes, and took a long deep breath.

When nothing more was said, Urahara cleared his throat. "We also look into our own footage here, and we have it on the security tape that you were sneaking into our file room earlier this Summer."

"Okay, you're point?" Orihime countered, her eyes opening to meet Urahara's. A deep frown on her face.

"Orihime," Ichigo started, his eyes still holding confusion. "You know about Aizen-"

"Obviously!" Orihime snapped, interrupting Ichigo, then looking to Urahara. "I don't really care if you have a problem with me looking at those files, or that I was in Rosehaven a few months ago and didn't tell you all. Why the hell would I? You all had no right to keep this from me, and I wasn't about to play that whole game again. Where everyone else gets to know what's going on, and I get left in the dark for my own "protection". Which, by the way, I never asked any of you to do that in the first place!"

"Orihime," Toshiro said, an eyebrow raised at her raised voice. However when she glared at him, and he just held his hand up. "Obviously you have the right to be mad."

Orihime focused back on the others. "Even though I glanced at the information you had on Aizen, I found out a hell of a lot more working on my own. I mean for god's sake you just learned the description of the woman that's working with Aizen, and Ichigo actually face to face talked to her that day and didn't even know it!" She exclaimed, noticing how that clearly took the others aback. "In the Rose Hill Coffee House. Ichigo thought he sensed me, which he did, but that's not the point. He went inside and thought she was me from behind. And from what I have gathered from the locals that was her."

"Wait, so you were there?" Ichigo asked to clarify, still pretty confused.

"Obviously." Orihime replied shortly.

"You didn't say anything-"

"Like you haven't said anything to me for months," Orihime interrupted him, finally meeting his eyes. "You know, if you ever asked me what I was up to or what I was doing, I would have told you immediately."

"Same here-"

"No actually you wouldn't. You didn't," Orihime interrupted again, her frown deepening. "That night when you went after an arrancar, and you told me you were going to train with Renji. Before you left and after you came home, I gave you opportunity after opportunity to tell me what you were really doing. Yet, you continued to lie to my face. I called you out on the fact that you were lying to me, and you still didn't tell me."

Ichigo was quiet after she said that.

Focusing back on everyone else, Orihime stood up and crossed her arms over her chest. "And if I haven't already said this, thank you, everyone, for lying to me every day for the past few months. I _super_ appreciate it."

"It was my idea for everyone not to tell you," Ichigo told her, standing up as well. "I just wanted to protect you."

Orihime was quiet for a long moment, as she stared at Ichigo. Her arms falling to her sides. "That's just great."

"Orihime-"

"Ichigo," Orihime interrupted him again, but this time her voice remained on its normal level. "I didn't ask for you to protect me. Ever. Not once did I say that I am so incredibly powerless that I need a knight in shining armor to keep me safe."

"Would you not feel the same way about me? Would you not want to keep me safe?"

"Obviously I want you to be safe, but I would never leave you in the dark like you have done to me so many times," Orihime told him, then sighed heavily. "Ichigo, we are supposed to be a partnership. We are supposed to do our best TOGETHER to take care of any obstacles in our lives. As Mina's parents and in our marriage, we are supposed to be a team. You can't just make decisions that concern me and our daughter without consulting me. That is not fair. I feel like everything we've been through this past year and a half, you still see me as the girl who needed saving. How am I supposed to want to marry someone who doesn't have any faith in me?"

Ichigo opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't find words.

Reaching down to grab her bag, Orihime turned to the door. "Mina's got enough milk in the refrigerator for the next few days. There is more in the freezer if you need it. I won't be coming home tonight, and probably not the next few nights. I will come by to visit Mina, but that's it."

"Orihime, wait-"

"Ichigo!" Orihime interrupted, spinning around to face him. "You have had all the time in the world to tell me about all of this, and the only reason why you want to talk about it now is that you got caught. I _don't_ want to talk to you."

After that was said, Orihime turned and left the room. Ichigo remained standing there, completely in shock after what just happened. _This is all my fault._

 **A few hours later**

"A little bit early in the semester to be taking a vacation isn't it?"

Orihime was a little confused at first, as she looked at the guy at the front desk. _Oh, he probably thinks I'm in college_. Forcing a smile onto her face, then she shrugged. "Well I finished my classes for the week, and I thought spending a few days here would be nice."

"Well, I hope you enjoy your stay." The guy nodded, offering her a big smile, as he handed her key to her.

Grabbing her suitcase, Orihime started to the elevator and hit the button for the third floor. She was at Road Island, and at a hotel not far from the place they stayed at for her birthday. She didn't plan on making the almost three-hour drive here, but once she got in the car after packing up at the house, she just kept driving until she didn't feel like it anymore.

Once in her room, she set the suitcase down, and laid back on the bed. Laying there for a long moment, and focusing in on the silence. The only sound was the wind she could hear from outside. Her mind felt like it was running in circles, and she felt kind of conflicted. _I feel heartbroken. I know I've sat with knowing that Ichigo was keeping this from me for months, but it was a lot easier pretending that it wasn't happening…_ _Everything is broken._

Noticing tears in her eyes, Orihime sniffled, and wiped them away. Reaching for her phone, she pulled it out, typed a quick message, and set it back down after hitting send. Resting her head back on the bed, she tried to breathe, and stop the tears that kept building in her eyes.

She wasn't sure then how much time had passed, as she kept feeling herself fade in and out of sleep. It wasn't until a knock on the door woke her up completely, that she realized the sun had almost gone down outside the window. The room was now a lot darker. Reaching over to turn a light on, she stood up and walked over to the door. Opening it she found Kira, Kimi, and Mich on the other side. "What-"

"Sorry it took us a while to get here," Kira interrupted Orihime, as the other girls walked in. "Michi and I drove here together, and traffic was pretty heavy on the usual interstate."

"Yeah and even though I live close by, Keitaro and I were out eating dinner with Keitaro's parents." Kimi added, as she set her bag down.

"I know, but I only texted you-" Orihime paused to look down at her phone, and realized it was nearly and hour and a half ago that she had first laid down in her room. She had nearly thirty messages and missed phone calls from the others. "I apparently fell asleep."

"What happened?" Kira asked, as they settled down on the couch and the bed in the room.

Michi motioned to her phone. "Yeah, Kimi texted us almost immediately after you texted her, but we aren't really sure what happened."

Orihime sighed, as she leaned back on the pillows on the bed. "Well, I texted Kimi, because she lives nearby. I could just use someone to talk to right now."

"And I texted Kira and Michi, because I figured they could be helpful too," Kimi added, offering Orihime a smile. "So what's going on? All you said in your text is that you and Ichigo had a fight, and now you're here."

Frowning a little, Orihime looked down, as she felt tears come to her eyes at the thought of everything. "Okay..."

Almost half an hour later, Orihime finally finished telling them an edited version of what happened. Making sure to leave out everything shinigami related. They had a bottle of wine sent to the room, and they were almost done with the bottle.

"I mean you have a right to be upset," Kira started, picking up her wine glass. "I would be pissed if Ryuu kept a secret from me for months."

Michi nodded in agreement with that. "And when you confronted him about lying, he still wouldn't fess up. That is so messed up."

"Maybe you two just need some space for a couple days… Then you can talk it out, and everything will be okay." Kimi added, trying to be optimistic.

Orihime could only muster a half-smile, before giving up and drinking down the rest of her wine. "I don't know. This is the biggest fight we've had, and it just hurts…"

"I'm so sorry this is happening Orihime," Michi said, resting her hand on Orihime's, as she refilled their wine glasses.

"How long do you think you'll be staying here?" Kimi asked, an eyebrow raised.

"I mean I don't know," Orihime replied, tracing the rim of her wine glass with her finger. "At least a couple days or so. I miss Mina already, oh and Bingo too. It'll be weird sleeping in a bed where he isn't laying on my feet at night."

"I'm sure both Mina and Bingo are going to be taken real good care of at home," Kira tried to reassure her. "They'll be happy to see you when you come back, no matter if that's two days from now or a week from now. Don't feel like you have to go crawling back to Ichigo after just a few hours away."

It was quiet for a moment, before Michi spoke up. "You do think you're going to go back eventually though right?"

Orihime shrugged, after sipping her wine. "Honestly, I don't know. We're supposed to get married next year, and I just am filled with so much doubt now. I don't know if I can put myself in a position to be in a marriage that makes me feel like I'm left out of all the important decisions."

"Well it shouldn't be like that," Kimi said in agreement. "I would be pissed if Keitaro woke up one day and just decided that he was going to make all the decisions for the two of us. Like hello? It's _our_ relationship. We are equal in it."

"That's exactly how I feel." Orihime agreed, taking another sip of wine, and she took a breath. Feeling the amount of wine she had hit her a little, as it had been a while since she had more than just a couple of glasses.

"I think we're out of wine," Kira noted, as she lifted the empty bottle.

Kimi uncrossed her legs, and stood up from the couch. "I can go to the store. It's only about a ten-minute walk. I think we're all past the point of driving."

"I'll go with you." Kira said, getting up to grab her bag.

"Wait, Kira," Orihime said, as her eyes went to the three women. "You all don't have to stay here with me. Kira, I'm sure you want to get back to Hiroko and Ryuu. And Michi and Kira, you both have classes tomorrow don't you?"

Kira waved a hand in Orihime's direction. "Ryuu can handle Hiroko for the night."

"I also hate the class I have tomorrow, so I don't really care that I'm missing it." Michi added with a shrug.

Kimi nodded, as she pulled on her light jacket. "I actually finished up my classes for the week today, so I'm all good. I mean I have an online assignment due tomorrow, but it's super easy. I'm not worried."

Orihime nodded, and finally allowed herself to relax back against the couch. It wasn't until after Kira and Kimi left the room, that she met Michi's eyes. "I really appreciate you and the others being here for me."

"It's no problem Orihime," Michi said, placing her hand on Orihime's, as she smiled. "You would do the same for us."

 **A couple days later**

Kimi looped her arm through Orihime's, as they walked down the boardwalk. "This sun is so refreshing, but the wind certainly has picked up a lot since the start of October."

Orihime's eyes remained focused down on the ground. Michi and Kira went back to their homes by Windsworth college yesterday, and now it was just her and Kimi left. "Yeah, I guess."

Noticing Orihime's half-hearted words, Kimi offered her a smile. "Hon, you look like you need a margarita or something. You've been so upset the past couple days, and I really think that we need to cheer you up."

"It's kind of hard to be happy with everything going on," Orihime said, pausing as they walked into "The Pier" restaurant. They sat out on the balcony that overlooked a pretty large drop down a cliff that led to the ocean. Once they were seated, Orihime leaned back in her chair. "I came here to try to settle my mind, and figure out what I want. It's just… not happening."

"Maybe you need to find something to help you relax more," Kimi said, then she chuckled. "Maybe something other than alcohol. I feel like all that's done is had us day-drinking for the past couple days, and that hasn't been very productive."

Orihime shrugged and sighed heavily. "Well we did go to that spa yesterday, and we went to the nature walk this morning… My mind just isn't working."

"Hi ladies," the waitress greeted, as she stopped by their table. "What can I get you two to drink?"

"Margaritas," Kimi replied almost immediately, as she pointed to the exact ones they wanted on the menu. After the waitress walked away, she focused back on Orihime. "Well, I am here for you as long as you need me."

"How about a distraction?" Orihime asked after a moment of silence. "How does Keitaro feel about you being out of the apartment these past two days? Well, it is really only this morning, yesterday, and the evening before yesterday. But still, it must be quiet over there."

Kimi laughed at that. "I mean he has work and school, and he's probably pretty busy. Although I'm sure he loves having the TV to himself."

Orihime finally smiled a little. "It's kind of funny when I think of you and Keitaro. Karin's best friend is named Kimi, and Yuzu's boyfriend's name is Keitaro- Well, he goes by Taro, but still. It's a small world."

Humming lowly, Kimi leaned back on her chair. "Didn't Karin used to date someone who's name was Ryuu?"

"Yes," Orihime replied, but she waved it off. "We don't talk about him though. He's history now."

"She's dating that guy now isn't she?" Kimi asked, trying to remember the name. "He's your friend. The white hair. The turquoise eyes- Toshiro! That's his name."

Orihime nodded once. "Yeah, he's one of my best friends."

"Is that weird?"

"Not really," Orihime shrugged, eying the waitress who was coming back over with their margaritas. "Ichigo's not completely okay with it, but he is getting a little bit more used to the idea."

Kimi noticed Orihime's face fall a little after she mentioned Ichigo's name. Her eyes went to the waitress who sat their margarita's down, and she smiled. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," the waitress said, motioning to their menus. "Are you two ready to order?"

"We need a few more minutes," Kimi replied, keeping her smile on her face, as the waitress walked away. She held up her margarita glass to Orihime. "Cheers?"

Sighing, Orihime put Ichigo to the back of her mind, and picked up her own margarita glass to clink with Kimi's. "Cheers."

 **The next day**

Sitting out on the beach, Orihime pulled her blanket closer around herself, as the wind swept by her. The sun was going down, and the beach was empty. She had spent the day mostly by herself, as Kimi finally went back to her apartment earlier that morning. Finally allowing her to reflect on everything that had happened.

The sound of the waves crashing onto the sand, and the beauty of the sunset seemed to be just what she needed. _I've been gone almost five days now… It just doesn't make sense why I feel so off. I knew that Ichigo and everyone else has been lying to me for months now,_ _but it still hurts so much now that it is out in the open… I'm afraid to talk to him. I love him, I really do._ _But, I'm afraid that if we talk about this… It might be what breaks us. We might lose it all._

Sighing at the thought, Orihime felt a chill as the wind picked up again. She pulled the blanket even closer, and closed her eyes. _It's really not fair of me to be kept out of big decisions and information like this. It wasn't fair of Ichigo to decide for me that I should be left in the dark. I believe in him 100%, but it doesn't feel like he truly believes the same of me._

At the thought, Orihime found her anger flaring up. She took a few deep breaths to try to relax, as her phone buzzed. It was a picture from Karin of Mina sleeping, and Bingo had wedged himself underneath Mina's rocker to sleep as well. _All I know is that I need to see my baby and my furbaby._

She sat outside until the sun went all the way down, and finally stood up to go back into the hotel. Once back in her room, she changed into her pajamas and climbed into the bed. She turned her phone back on to look at the photo of Mina and Bingo again, and she sighed and closed her eyes. _Regardless of what happens with Ichigo and I… They need to be okay._

 **The next afternoon, 19th of October**

Sitting on the back porch steps of his dad's house, Ichigo watched as Bingo walked around the backyard. _These past few days have been pretty rough. I haven't gone to training, and I had to pass on that assignment I was supposed to go on…_

Ichigo's thoughts trailed off, as Isshin walked onto the back porch. "How are you doing?"

"I'm okay."

"Really?" Isshin countered, crossing his arms over his chest, and leaning against the railing at the top of the stairs. "Because you've hardly left my house at all."

"Yeah well it kind of hurts to go back to an empty house, dad!" Ichigo snapped back at his dad, then he sighed and dropped his head to hand. "Sorry."

Isshin understood his son's anger, and just sat down on one of the chairs on the porch. "I know… You just have to give her time son."

"I know," Ichigo said, sighing as he lifted his head back up. His eyes going to follow Bingo around the yard. "I thought I was doing the right thing. Protecting Orihime and Mina..."

"It's tough making decisions when it is more than just you involved."

"I mean, it's not like Aizen is after me. He's after Orihime and Mina. I thought I was protecting them, and I know I just said that. But I obviously didn't think it through enough."

"Honestly son, a partnership is something that can be a wonderful thing. Yes, at this point, you and Orihime have been together for over a year now. It wasn't really until after Mina was born that things really came together for you two, and you started your own lives," Isshin started, then he sighed. "It's still new to you, and you're going to make mistakes. I certainly made plenty of mistakes the first couple years I was married to your mother."

That finally got Ichigo to look over in his dad's direction.

"Your mother and I had our differences, but we had to come together and work through them in order to get past them. Before I met your mother, I was used to making my own choices and not having to consider anyone else. But it is different once you get married and have children together, or in your case engaged and have a child. You have to rely on each other. It's no longer just you anymore."

Ichigo sighed after his dad finished speaking, and Bingo finally came up on the porch. Standing up with his dad, they started to the back door. "I see your point, but I can't do much about it now. I have no idea where Orihime is, and she certainly doesn't want to talk to me."

As they walked inside, Yuzu had gone to the door, and opened it to reveal Orihime on the other side. "Hey, Orihime."

At the sight of Orihime, Ichigo stopped by the couch, and his mouth fell slightly ajar.

Orihime stepped inside and offered a smile to Yuzu. "Thanks, Yuzu," she said, then her focus went to Karin on the couch, who was holding Mina. Her smile widened, as she moved over to get Mina from Karin. "Hey, baby girl."

"She definitely missed you." Karin said, leaning back on the couch after passing Mina over.

"I missed her very much," Orihime agreed, her eyes brightening as Bingo ran right over to her, and she knelt down to pet him. "And I missed Bingo too."

Finally feeling the initial shock of seeing Orihime fading a little, Ichigo took a step towards her. "Orihime-"

"I think I'm going to step out on the back porch for a little bit," Orihime interrupted him, not looking his way, as she moved to the back door. "Come on Bingo."

After Orihime had gone outside with Mina and Bingo, Ichigo sunk down on the couch nearest to him. "How did she even know I was here with them?"

"I told her," Karin replied, having picked up the remote to flip it onto the latest episode of Grey's Anatomy.

"What?!" Ichigo exclaimed, his eyebrows raised. "You've been talking to her today?"

"All week actually."

"You've talked to her all week, and didn't say anything to me?!"

"Why would I say anything to you? The conversations were between Orihime and I, and had nothing to do with you," Karin countered him, as she paused the TV before the Grey's Anatomy episode could start. "By the way, before you get mad and say that I should have told you, because we're siblings or whatever, don't bother. I don't see it that way. I'm on Orihime's side on this. You were being a jackass."

"Karin." Isshin said, shaking his head at her cursing.

"I'm just saying," Karin continued, her eyes on Ichigo. "If Toshiro was keeping something like that from me for several months, I would have done the same thing as Orihime. On top of that, if he lied to my face when I confronted him about it, we wouldn't be dating anymore."

Narrowing his eyes at his sister, Ichigo crossed his arms over his chest, and turned his head back to face the closed back door. Losing the irritation in his face, Ichigo frowned as he could make out Orihime's figure from the window on the other side of the door.

She had been out on the back porch for nearly fifteen minutes before she came back inside with Mina and Bingo. She walked right into the kitchen where Ichigo was, and stopped a few feet away from him. "Ichigo."

Spinning away from the refrigerator, Ichigo's eyes went to meet Orihime's. "Orihime."

"I've spent the last handful of days at a hotel in Road Island, but I'm going to be back in Karakura Town for now," Orihime said, adjusting Mina in her arms. "I'd like to spend some time with Mina and Bingo for a couple of days. I can take them to a hotel, or I can go stay over at Mai and Hikari's or Rin and Kei's..."

Taken aback at how she clearly already made up her mind, Ichigo finally nodded once. "Don't worry about it. You can just stay over at the house. I can stay here at my dad's… But, don't you think we should talk?"

"I spent the last several days trying my best to sort through everything. How upset I was and how angry I was. It's not like I just went on vacation, and all my problems went away. It's not like we're just going to go back to normal," Orihime replied rather shortly, as she had to take a breath to control her anger. "I thought that maybe coming back here would give me idea on if I was ready to talk to you, and I don't think I am. I am still angry."

"Okay..."

After Ichigo spoke, Orihime nodded once, and went to the table to grab Bingo's leash. "Come here Bingo," she said, then she leaned down, and clipped his leash on. After grabbing Mina's diaper bag, she turned to go to the door. "I'm going to be back at the house, and I'll be bringing Mina by in a couple days probably."

"Okay," Karin said, jumping up to get the door for Orihime. "Text me when you get home."

"I will." Orihime replied, going out to her car. After letting Bingo in the car first, she focused on putting Mina in her car seat, then got in herself. She turned on the car, but paused before backing out of the driveway. Her eyes going to the Kurosaki house, and she found herself hesitating. Shaking her head after a moment, Orihime put the car in reverse and backed out of the driveway.

 **Inside the Kurosaki house**

Remaining standing in the kitchen, Ichigo finally walked out into the living room after he heard Orihime leave. Keeping his eyes focused down on the floor, as he stopped in the living room. He could feel the eyes of his dad and sisters focused on him. "I'm going to be staying here tonight again."

Isshin reached over and rested a hand on his son's shoulder. "You've just got to give her more time, Ichigo."

"Somehow I feel like she'll never have enough time..." Ichigo trailed off, then walked to one of the guest bedrooms in the hall the study was on. Going over to the bed, he laid back on it, and let his eyes go up to the ceiling.

Almost half an hour past, before the door to the room, opened, and Karin poked her head in. "Dinner's ready."

"I don't want anything," Ichigo replied shortly, turning away from the door.

Sighing at Ichigo's words, Karin walked into the room a bit more. "I'm sorry if what I said earlier hurt your feelings Ichigo. You're not a complete jackass."

"Thanks a lot," Ichigo muttered, remaining facing away from Karin and the door.

Moving over to the bed, Karin sat down on the end. "Look, like I said earlier, I probably would have reacted the same way as Orihime if it was Toshiro and I in that situation. But, honestly, it's not like I wouldn't forgive him. Obviously if he did something bad, like murder someone in cold blood or cheated on me, then I wouldn't forgive him- that's not the point. The point is that Orihime just needs time. You spent this entire last week calling and texting her non-stop, and you weren't really giving her a moment to really just settle down and think."

"And you know this because the two of you have been talking the whole time she was gone."

"Honestly Ichigo, we didn't talk about you that much. We only really talked about Mina and Bingo. I just know that you've been constantly bothering her, because you've been practically living at the house all week, and I've watched you do it," Karin replied, finally noticing that's what it took to get Ichigo to look at her. "She's going to need some time to think Ichigo. Just give her some time, and don't push her. I promise you that if you give her space, she'll come around to the idea of talking to you sooner, rather than later."

Ichigo was quiet for a long moment, then he pushed himself to sit up. "Since when did you get so wise?"

Karin laughed and rubbed the back of her neck. "I don't really know. I think I'm turning into dad."

That made Ichigo join in with her laughter this time, and he got up from the bed. "Let's go eat dinner."

 **A couple days later, October 21st**

Leaning back against the couch, Ichigo was _mindlessly_ watching TV with his family. Not really too interested in what they were watching. When his phone started to ring, he didn't even bother to check who it was, as he was just happy for a distraction. "Hello?"

" _Hello, Ichigo."_

At the sound of Orihime's voice, Ichigo nearly dropped his phone, as he sat up. "Uh hey."

" _I'm not far from your dad's house, and I was hoping your family wouldn't mind watching Mina and Bingo for a little while… I'd like to talk to you."_

"Sure, that's great. I'm sure they won't mind. Of course, they won't. Yeah, we can do that-"

" _I'll be there in a few minutes."_

"Okay, sounds good," Ichigo said, trying not to go back off on a tangent again. When he hung up the phone, his eyes went to his family, and a smile went to his face. "That was Orihime. She's want to talk to me. Do you mind keeping an eye on Mina and Bingo when she comes over."

"I don't mind at all." Isshin replied, however, Ichigo was already practically running off down the hall to what had been his temporary bedroom over the past week.

Over half an hour later, Ichigo was now with Orihime, and she stopped the car not far off from the big bridge. Nothing really had been said as they drove, and even after Orihime had turned the car off, they remained in silence as they got out of the car to walk over to the front. Her eyes focusing in on the sunset in front of them, and finally, she sighed. "I have been trying to work through the anger I've been feeling. Coming home didn't help ease it like I thought it would, but these last couple of days showed me that it's not my anger that's been making this so difficult."

Nodding once, Ichigo remained quiet, and let her continue.

"Don't get me wrong, I was angry, but I think I realized I was really just hurt… It really doesn't feel good when you already knew that it bothers me when you leave me out of crucial information like you did when I was pregnant," Orihime said, feeling a little stinging in her eyes, as she looked away to finally look to Ichigo. "It really hurt my feelings that you did that. Honestly Ichigo, I have no doubt in my mind that you can take care of yourself and do what's best for our family, but I feel like you don't believe I can do the same. That really doesn't feel good."

This time after she stopped talking, Ichigo stepped closer to her, and wrapped his arms around her for a long moment. "I do believe in you Orihime. You've proven that to me and everyone time and time again… I am so sorry for everything. I should have told you as soon as I found out, and I never should have lied to you," he said, finally pulling back a little to look at her, and tears lined his own eyes. "I hate that I made you feel that I don't believe in you. I never should have kept this stuff from you. I should have told you, because it's not just me anymore. It's you, Mina, and me… I'm so sorry Orihime."

Meeting Ichigo's eyes again, Orihime finally fully accepted his arms being around her, as she rested her head on his shoulder. "You can't keep things from me anymore. We're a team."

"I know," Ichigo said, as they pulled apart again to look at each other. "I love you, and I am so grateful to have you… I'm not going to take you for granted again."

Finally, a smile appeared on Orihime's face, as he had reached up to caress her cheek. "I know… I love you too."

* * *

 **A/N: This was a whirlwind of a chapter, but Orihime and Ichigo seem like they will be able to get past this. What do you think is in store for Orihime and Ichigo's future? How will they tackle the potential threat of Aizen and this mystery woman together?**

 **Don't forget to review, favorite, and share this story with others. Also be sure to check out my other stories.**

 **Be sure to like my page (Ruby1235 Fanfiction) on Facebook and follow me on twitter ( Ruby1235Fanfic) for updates, sneak peeks, and hints for current and new stories :)**


	12. More Kids?

_Review:_

 _Meeting Ichigo's eyes again, Orihime finally fully accepted his arms being around her, as she rested her head on his shoulder. "You can't keep things from me anymore. We're a team."_

" _I know," Ichigo said, as they pulled apart again to look at each other. "I love you, and I am so grateful to have you… I'm not going to take you for granted again."_

 _Finally a smile appeared on Orihime's face, as he had reached up to caress her cheek. "I know… I love you too."_

* * *

 **The next morning, October 22nd**

The sound of crying lifting into the air was what Orihime woke up to. As she was sitting up, Ichigo reached over to rest a hand on her arm to stop her.

"I can go get her, you can just go back to sleep."

"Thanks, but I kind of miss this," Orihime said, as she got out of bed to leave their room. Once in the nursery, she scooped Mina up out of her crib and moved over to the rocking chair. Adjusting so she could begin to nurse Mina, she slowly began to rock the chair back and forth, and let her head rest back on the chair. Despite her tiredness taking most of her attention, she felt happy at this moment. _I missed doing this… Feeling at home with my family._

It wasn't until after Mina finished nursing, that Orihime adjusted so she could cradle Mina to her chest after burping her. Enjoying feeling so close to her daughter. After a moment her eyes moved to the doorway when Ichigo appeared, then Bingo who trotted into the room to lay on the rug in front of Mina's crib.

"I just let Bingo out, and it was sprinkling outside," Ichigo said, motioning to Bingo, who was currently rubbing his face all on the rug.

Orihime smiled after Bingo sneezed. "I missed this."

"It finally feels back to normal," Ichigo said, yawning as he watched Mina. "She's back to sleep already? This past week she was awake at five in the morning, and would stay up for hours."

"It's probably the rain," Orihime said, glancing to the window where all she could hear was the sound of the rain. The sun hadn't yet made an appearance yet. Her focus went back down to Mina and smiled. "I wish it would be that easy for me to go back to sleep."

Ichigo hummed lowly and smiled when Orihime met his eyes again. "Maybe we could give it a shot though? The rains supposed to clear up some time in a couple of hours, then Rin, Raya, and Kei are coming over for lunch. We could use a couple more hours of sleep."

"Okay." Orihime agreed after a moment. Getting up slowly, she crossed the room and rested Mina down in her crib without waking her up. Catching Bingo's attention, she got him to follow her out of the room, and they returned back to her and Ichigo's bedroom. Bingo took a running jump onto the bed and laid down at his usual spot at the end.

Ichigo grinned at Bingo. "He's getting much better at jumping up here."

"I'm noticing that. He's growing up on us," Orihime agreed, smiling as she got back into bed with Ichigo, and moved so she could rest her head on his chest. After a moment of silence, she sighed. "This is nice."

Ichigo, who had been lightly running his fingers through her hair, hummed lowly. "It is. I missed morning's like these."

Orihime moved her head so she could kiss him, then rested her head back down and closed her eyes. The sound of the rain lightly tapping on the roof was what helped soothe her back to sleep.

 **That afternoon**

Starting to load the dishes from lunch into the dishwasher, Orihime's eyes moved to look through the windows in the kitchen that gave her a view of the back porch. Ichigo was back there, along with Kei, Raya, and Bingo. Since it was no longer raining, Ichigo had filled up the kiddie pool, and Raya and Bingo were currently playing in it. The sun had come out and it was an unusually hot day for October, so they thought it'd be nice.

"I have to apologize once again for not telling you about Aizen." Rin said, appearing from the dining room with the rest of the dishes from lunch.

"It's fine Rin," Orihime said, offering her a smile. "It's not like I didn't know he was alive-"

"No, no," Rin interrupted, waving her hand. "I should have told you. I was just being protective, but that was not my place."

Smiling at that, Orihime shrugged. "From now on, let's just be honest with each other," she said, reaching over to rest her free hand on Rin's. "We're family, right? Honesty is policy."

"Yeah," Rin agreed, just as Mina's cry was heard through the baby monitor. She clapped her hands together and turned. "I'll go get her."

Putting the last of the dishes in the dishwasher, Orihime moved to the back door and stood in the doorway. Her eyes going to Raya and Bingo in the pool. "Having fun Raya?"

"Of course I am!" Raya exclaimed, giggling as Bingo jumped back in and out of the pool again.

"Was that Mina crying?" Ichigo asked, his eyes meeting Orihime's.

"Yeah, but Rin went to go get her," Orihime replied, then her eyes moved to Kei. "So are you enjoying your new job at the fire station?"

Kei nodded, as he sat down in one of the chairs at the patio table. "Ichigo and I were just talking about that actually… Yes, I'm enjoying it. It's nice to be closer to home. It only takes me twenty minutes to get to work now instead of almost an hour."

"Well that's more time you get to sleep in the morning," Orihime said, smiling as her attention went back to Raya. "Do you want a popsicle?"

"Yes!" Raya exclaimed, standing up in the pool.

"Wait, don't get out," Kei said, at her about to get out of the pool. "We'll bring the popsicle to you."

Orihime went inside and returned back out with a blue popsicle for Raya who had sat back down in the pool to more calmly enjoying the cool treat. She moved back inside when she noticed Rin had come back downstairs with Mina now.

"She just needed to be changed."

"She'll probably need to be fed soon too," Orihime said, smiling at the way Rin held Mina and the look of happiness on her face. "So, if I'm being too forward, you don't have to answer… But have you thought about having any more kids?"

"No," Rin replied immediately, but she stopped for a moment and hummed. "Maybe."

Orihime laughed at Rin's words and raised an eyebrow. "That confident, huh?"

Rin snuggled Mina a little closer to her, as she sat down on one of the chairs at the bar. "I mean I just forgot how it is when they are this tiny."

"Have you and Kei talked about it?"

"We have… I think we're both on the same page that our main focus right now is our wedding. Raya's got a busy schedule with preschool half the day and running around the other half. I still manage the Somi people who live in Karakura, and I really think it's important for Kei to settle into his job," Rin said, smiling down at Mina. "But every time I hold this little lady; it makes me want to forget all that other stuff…Bingo apparently had jumped back into the pool and slid around a little. Orihime smiled as Bingo happily barked and shook out his wet fur. "And Bingo of course."

 **The next day, 23rd of October**

"That was such a beautiful ceremony." Orihime gushed, taking a glass of champagne off the tray the waiter offered her.

"It really was." Rukia agreed, also taking a couple glasses from the tray, and handing one over to Renji.

"What's really beautiful," Akira started, finishing her most recent glass of bourbon. "Is the open bar."

While the others laughed, Tatsuki just held up her gin and tonic. "That's the truth."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow in Tatsuki and Akira's direction. "I thought you two hit your wedding quota for the year."

Orihime noticed that led to both Tatsuki and Akira looking in her direction. "What?"

"Do you tell him everything we talk about?" Tatsuki countered.

Orihime shrugged after a moment. "Not everything."

"It's okay dear," Akira reached over and patted the back of Orihime's hand. "We know you can help it because you two are in a relationship now."

"We're actually engaged." Ichigo pointed out, rolling his eyes at how that made both Tatsuki and Akira laugh. Even Rukia and Renji joined in.

"Anyway," Akira started after the laughter stopped. "I will not be attending any more weddings this year, as Orihime has already told you; I have hit my wedding quota this year."

Tatsuki nodded in agreement with Akira, then her eyes moved back to Orihime and Ichigo. "So don't all of a sudden decide to get married-"

"Next August," Orihime said, her eyes going down to Mina who was asleep in her carrier. "We've got too much on our plate right now to try and get married this year."

Tatsuki focus went to Rukia now. "Don't you get any ideas either."

That made Renji nearly spit out his drink from where he had been silently trying to stay out of the conversation.

Rukia started laughing and nudged his shoulder. "Relax," she told him, then looked back to Tatsuki. "We just started dating."

"Like four months ago," Akira pointed out, as she waved her hand. "Some people get married after knowing each other for like five seconds."

"That definitely is not us," Tatsuki said, motioning between herself and Akira, then she finished her gin and tonic. "Okay, let's go back to the bar."

"Yes!" Akira exclaimed, clapping her hands together, as she pushed her chair back.

Ichigo smirked in Tatsuki and Akira's direction, as they both got up. "What is that? The fourth trip since the ceremony ended?"

"College changes people Ichigo," Tatsuki replied, waving off his smirk. "We're a lot more fun now."

As Tatsuki and Akira walked in the direction of the bar, Rukia whistled lowly. "Hopefully neither of them drove here."

Orihime smiled at that. "If they did, we'll just let them come over to our house and stay the night- oh Mai, the ceremony was beautiful!"

At Orihime's attention changing to Mai, who showed up at the table with Hikari, Rukia nodded. "It was, and your dress is perfect."

"Thank you." Mai said, smiling ear-to-ear as she glanced at Hikari.

"So," Ichigo started, his hand going to rest on the back of Orihime's chair. "You two are going out to the islands. What's it called? That small one next to Silvermist. Light Hollow, right?"

Mai nodded, as she grabbed a champagne flute from the waiter going by. "Yeah, it's perfect for honeymoons. It's pretty secluded and not as touristy. We wanted a relaxing honeymoon."

"When do you two need to be at the airport?" Orihime asked.

Hikari looked down at his watch, then rubbed the back of his neck. "In about an hour."

Renji chuckled at that. "You two are pushing it pretty close aren't you?"

Mai laughed, as she and Hikari shared another look. "We're both pretty good at procrastinating… But speaking of having to leave soon. Where is Emi? The last time I saw her, she was with Karin, and I have no idea where they are."

Orihime motioned over to where Karin was dancing with both Raya and Emi, and Toshiro was currently taking pictures of them. "Karin's been keeping the kids busy practically the whole day."

"I'm going to go grab Emi real quick," Mai said, turning to walk away.

Hikari's attention moved to Orihime and Ichigo. "My parents will be in town for the next couple days and are going to watch Emi for us. But, we really appreciate you two watching her the rest of the time we'll be gone."

"Oh it's no problem," Orihime said, offering Mai a smile. "You've watched Mina for us plenty of times."

"I'm honestly surprised you two aren't going for the upgrade and getting my sister, Karin, to babysit for you," Ichigo added with a grin.

Hikari shrugged and smirked back at Ichigo. "Well as tempting as it is, Mai and I don't want to ask too much of Karin with how busy she is right now."

Mai reappeared with Emi on her hip, and her eyes meeting Hikari's. "Are you ready to go? We have to go find your parents."

Hikari nodded, and reached over to accept Emi who was busy trying to take the flowers out of her mom's hair. His eyes moved to Orihime and Ichigo again. "We'll be back on the 29th. You have my parents number."

"Yes, yes. Now go and enjoy your honeymoon." Orihime said, laughing as she motioned for them to go.

 **A few days later**

Grabbing some boxes of pasta of the shelf, Ichigo's eyes went back to the grocery cart, as Emi was now standing up in the cart. "No, no. Emi sit back down."

"I want help." Was all Emi said, as she reached over to the shelf.

"I know you want to help Emi, but you've got to sit down-" Ichigo quickly set the pasta boxes in the car, and reached over to keep Emi from taking anything off the shelf.

"Got Bingo's dog food," Orihime's voice was heard first, as she walked around Ichigo to put Bingo's dog food on the bottom of the cart. Seeing Ichigo's struggle to keep Emi from reaching for the food on the shelf, she smiled, and reached in the diaper bag she had with her. "Emi do you want a snack?"

"Yes!" Emi exclaimed, losing interest in the shelves of food, as she turned to face Orihime.

"Sit back down please," Orihime said, waiting for the toddler to sit down, then she handed her a plastic bag full of animal crackers. "Here you go."

Watching Orihime handle that so smoothly had Ichigo sighing. "Geez, I need to get better at this."

Orihime smiled at him, as she grabbed a bag of rice from the shelves. "Well you have at least another two years before Mina gets to this age, so you have time to practice."

"More like I need to just walk around with little bags of snacks all the time."

"It works most of the time," Orihime replied, as they started walking down the aisle. She motioned to Mina, who was busy sucking on her pacifier. "You did great keeping Mina calm."

"That's pretty easy. All I have to do is put her pacifier back in after she spits it out," Ichigo said, as they stopped on the next aisle over. His eyes glancing to Mina and to Emi. "We should probably hurry up though. I have a feeling this whole calm thing is going to end up with a meltdown or two if they don't get their naps soon."

"Definitely," Orihime agreed, reaching for their list to see what else they needed. "Let's do this."

 **A half hour later**

Pulling into the driveway, Ichigo hit the garage opener button, as they drove slowly down the long drive. It wasn't until they were stopped in the garage that he turned the car off, and turned to look over his shoulder at where both Mina and Emi were asleep in their car seats.

"I think we should get the girls out first," Orihime said, also looking back at the girls. "However, I feel like if we move them, they might wake up again."

"We can do this." Ichigo nodded to reassure Orihime, then they both got out of the car. He got Emi out, as she was on his side of the car. After waiting for Orihime to get Mina, they both walked up the stairs to the main level of the house. It wasn't until they had laid both Emi and Mina down in their cribs in Mina's nursery, that he shared a smile with Orihime.

"Success." Orihime whispered after they tip-toed out of the nursery, and back down the main floor.

"That was very lucky," Ichigo said, as he went over to the laundry room where they currently had Bingo's crate at. They had potty trained him for the most part, and rarely used the crate anymore when they left the house. However, when they were gone for longer periods of time, they would put him in the crate. "Hopefully Bingo won't wake them up."

As soon as Ichigo was in the laundry room, Bingo stood up, and his tail started thumping against the crate. When Ichigo let him out, he ran straight out of the laundry room, and to the back door. Orihime opened it up for him to go out, then she and Ichigo went back downstairs to the garage to grab the groceries from the car and close the garage door.

A few trips later, they had all the groceries upstairs and were putting them away. Orihime took a break from unpacking the groceries to let Bingo back inside, and she gave him a little attention. Her eyes moved to Ichigo when she heard him chuckle. "What?"

"I was just thinking that so far from yesterday and today, that we've done a pretty good job having two kids in the house," Ichigo replied, then he smirked in Bingo's direction. "Well, two kids and one puppy."

"I guess we have." Orihime agreed, going back to finish up putting some groceries in the pantry.

Ichigo waited until Orihime returned from the pantry, as he leaned against the counter. "Have you thought about having any more kids?"

"That's kind of funny," Orihime said, moving to sit on one of the bar stools, after grabbing a glass of water. "I was talking about that with Rin a few days ago… Rin said that she and Kei had considered it, but they want to get settled and married before they decide on anything."

"What did you say?" Ichigo asked curiously.

Shrugging her shoulders, Orihime leaned on the back of the chair a little. "I mean I don't know. I feel like we're both happy with how things are now with Mina and Bingo."

"That's true… I guess sometimes I think about how amazing Mina is, and it'd be nice to have another kid sometime."

"I feel that too," Orihime said, then she laughed. "However, then I usually think about what it took to get Mina here, and I still think it's a little too soon for me to want to go through that again."

Ichigo laughed along with her. "Maybe we can revisit the idea in a few years. After we're married, and maybe when Mina's starting preschool. Plus Bingo might calm down in a few years, and won't be so high strung."

Orihime glanced down to the floor where Bingo was currently chasing his tail around in circles, then he got distracted with a few toys on the ground. "Something tells me that he's going to be a lot of work for many years to come," she said, then she got off the chair and knelt down to pet him and grab one of his toys. "But that's okay because we love him very much."

Here Ichigo just says he's a pretty special dog at Bingo's distraction again.

 **A few days later, October 31st**

Going into Mina's nursery, Orihime set the laundry basket on top of the dresser and went through the process of putting away Mina's clothes. She usually went through three to four outfits a day, as there was always some sort of mess on them. There was a lot to put away. Once she finished with that task, she walked out of the nursery just as Ichigo was walking in with Mina wrapped in her little towel with baby hippos on it.

"The bath was a success," Ichigo said, as he moved over to the changing table to put a diaper and a onesie on Mina. "She only cried for a minute before I could get the water to the right temperature."

"The laundry is mostly done," Orihime said. "I think we have one more load that has to get done, and I'm going to go grab those and put them in the dryer now. I- Uh Bingo!"

Hearing Orihime's exclamation, Ichigo turned to look over his shoulder to see Bingo trotting happily into the nursery and wagging his tail. He smirked as Orihime re-appeared back in the doorway. "He's still tiny enough to trip over every once in a while."

"I have a feeling even when he gets bigger, I will still trip over him. Because he just wants to be everywhere that I am, and stop in front of me in the hall," Orihime replied, smiling down at Bingo, then brought her eyes to Ichigo again, who was about to put on Mina's onesie. "Will you put her in her costume first?"

Ichigo glanced back at Orihime again. "Do you think that's a good idea? It's still pretty early."

"Only for a few minutes. I want to see how it looks on her." Orihime said, walking back out of the room to go finish up the laundry. Bingo following her downstairs, and once in the laundry room, he stopped outside to drink some water from his bowl. After moving the clothes from the washer to the dryer, she eyed Bingo with a big smile on her face.

A few minutes later Ichigo came downstairs with Mina, and met Orihime by the back door where she was waiting for Bingo to come in. "Here she is."

Orihime turned, and smiled immediately and smiled in her little cat costume. "Oh my gosh, it's perfect! She is so cute."

"I have to agree this is pretty cute," Ichigo said, smiling as Orihime had got out her phone to take some pictures. His eyes went downward when Bingo came running inside. His eyebrow raised at the sight of their puppy in a skeleton costume. "I knew you got him a costume… I just didn't know it was matching mine."

Orihime smiled back at Ichigo. "Well technically our costumes are the same as pajamas. So we're not really dressing up that much. Besides I thought it would be perfect, because I'll be matching Mina. You'll be matching-"

"Our dog," Ichigo interrupted, before he laughed. "I have to say, we need to remember to thank Karin for suggesting this idea. Because I'm not really one to dress up in costumes, and this is a perfect solution. Wearing Halloween themed pajamas basically."

"I know, we need to do this every year," Orihime agreed, taking another picture of Mina. "We need to go ahead and get her out of that costume before she spits up on it or worse."

"You don't have to tell me twice." Ichigo said, watching her take her last few pictures of Mina.

Finishing up with the pictures, Orihime sighed. "This is going to be so different."

"What is?"

"All the holidays… We're going to be able to focus on her now, instead of just us. We used to be planning to spend the night out with our friends. Our priorities are so different now," Orihime replied, then she chuckled. "You know that Karin is getting Toshiro to go to a Halloween party with her tonight."

"That used to be us, once upon a time." Ichigo replied as they both moved to go back upstairs. Bingo hurrying so he could go ahead of them.

Orihime flipped the light back on in Mina's nursery and stood in the doorway as Ichigo went to go change Mina into a normal onesie. "Honestly, it's kind of funny. I don't think either of them really wants to go. Karin just wants to see some of her friends for a couple of hours… All of our friends are out on their college campuses for parties and fun."

"Well not all of them," Ichigo pointed out. "Mai and Hikari, then Rin and Kei… oh yeah, I guess that's the only ones that aren't going out partying at college tonight. Well, some of the shinigami won't be."

"Those won't be the ones that are in the Soul Society right? Because those don't count." Orihime said, reaching over for Mina after Ichigo finished changing her into her onesie.

Ichigo hummed lowly. "I guess that's true… Rukia and Renji are going to meet up with Akira and Tatsuki apparently."

Orihime smiled at the thought. "Honestly I'm not that disappointed that we're not going to a party. I mean if we're not counting the party at Rin's house that is meant for kids 4 and under."

"I don't think that's in the same category as the same type of party that our friends are going tonight," Ichigo replied, smiling as that made Orihime laugh. "I'm kind of glad that we're just going over to Rin's for a couple hours, then over to my dad's to watch Halloween movies for the rest of the night."

Orihime's eyes went down to where Mina was falling asleep on her chest, and they fell into silence for a moment. After a moment, she sighed and smiled. "Yeah, there's not where else I'd rather be tonight than spending it with our baby girl."

* * *

 **A/N: Orihime and Ichigo are finally back to normal, and things seem to be alright in their life. Also Mai and Hikari's wedding was briefly mentioned, but I really enjoyed writing the grocery store scene with Emi. What was your favorite scene?**

 **Don't forget to review, favorite, and share this story with others. Also be sure to check out my other stories.**

 **Be sure to like my page (Ruby1235 Fanfiction) on Facebook and follow me on twitter ( Ruby1235Fanfic) for updates, sneak peeks, and hints for current and new stories :)**


	13. 6 Months Already?

_Review:_

 _Ichigo hummed lowly. "I guess that's true… Rukia and Renji are going to meet up with Akira and Tatsuki apparently."_

 _Orihime smiled at the thought. "Honestly I'm not that disappointed that we're not going to a party. I mean if we're not counting the party at Rin's house that is meant for kids 4 and under."_

" _I don't think that's in the same category as the same type of party that our friends are going tonight," Ichigo replied, smiling as that made Orihime laugh. "I'm kind of glad that we're just going over to Rin's for a couple hours, then over to my dad's to watch Halloween movies for the rest of the night."_

 _Orihime's eyes went downward to where Mina was falling asleep on her chest, and they fell into silence for a moment. After a moment, she sighed and smiled. "Yeah, there's not where else I'd rather be tonight than spending it with our baby girl."_

* * *

 **Two weeks later, November 13th**

"Oh my gosh. Mina, you are so cute." Orihime gushed, taking a few pictures of Mina for her six-month-old photo. The next photo was interrupted by a flash of golden fur. "Bingo!"

Ichigo's laughter was heard, as he walked in from the back porch. "Sorry, I tried keeping him out there, but it's cold and I felt bad."

"It's okay," Orihime replied, smiling as she snapped a couple photos of Bingo who had sat down next to Mina's rocker sleeper with a toy. "Look at the photos I took."

Ichigo swiped through some of the photos on Orihime's phone and smiled. "I can't believe she's already six months."

"I know," Orihime said, picking Mina up after she started to get a little fussy. "Honestly, if you think about it, I can hardly imagine a time where we didn't have her though."

"This whole having a kid thing is very confusing. You either can't believe how long you've had the kid, or you can't imagine a time where you didn't have her." Ichigo replied as they both laughed.

Orihime sat down on the couch closer to the fireplace and adjusted so Mina could rest her head on her chest. "I know we were talking about possibly going out for lunch, but I really don't feel like going anymore."

"Same here," Ichigo agreed, putting a new log on the fire in the fireplace. "How about we just stay here and have a lazy Sunday?"

"That sounds good to me," Orihime said, eying the firewood they had in front of the fireplace. "I'm glad you went ahead and chopped firewood last week. It got cold pretty quickly."

"That it did." Ichigo agreed, moving over to join her on the couch, as Bingo jumped up as well to not be left out.

Welcoming Ichigo's arm wrapping around her, Orihime smiled as they relaxed. "Last night was a lot of fun."

"I have to agree. Even though bowling isn't necessarily my thing-"

Orihime laughing interrupted Ichigo, as she smirked at him. "Oh please, you and Karin were acting like you were professionals or something."

"Well I didn't want her to win, and she didn't want me to win," Ichigo explained, then he sighed. "You know, I thought it might be weird at first. It was us and all of our friends like usual, but Toshiro brought Karin this time. It ended up not being that different though."

"Well, I'm sure you are just used to looking at her as just your little sister, but it really seemed like she fit in well with all of our friends-" Orihime broke off, as Mina started crying. Adjusting so she could let Mina nurse, she sighed after a moment. "I'm surprised Mina made it through the short photo shoot without getting upset."

"She was probably enjoying the attention," Ichigo said, reaching over for the remote. "Want to watch a movie?"

"That'd be nice," Orihime replied, then she glanced at Ichigo again. "And maybe some hot tea?"

Smiling at that, Ichigo leaned over and kissed her. "I'll go start the water on the stove, and you can start looking at possible movies."

"Deal." Orihime agreed, accepting the remote from him, as he got up from the couch.

 **Later that evening**

"So, we've got bananas or peas." Ichigo said, returning back to the kitchen table from the pantry with two small jars of baby food.

"Decisions, decisions," Orihime said, focusing in on Mina in her high chair. "What do you want baby girl?"

Ichigo set both jars down on the highchair for Mina, and she just seemed more focused on the spoon. "This is going well."

Orihime reached over for the peas, and took the lid off and managed to get the spoon from Mina. "Let's just go with the peas first, and then try the bananas."

"Wow that looks even less appetizing with the lid off," Ichigo said, eying the green mushed peas. "This is her first every time eating food, and this is what we're giving her."

"Well, she doesn't have the proper amount of teeth to eat solid food yet," Orihime said, offering a little bit of the mushed peas to Mina. She didn't appear to be that interested at first but finally accepted the small spoonful. "Success."

"I guess it's a success because she didn't spit it out."

Orihime laughed, as she got another spoonful for Mina. "Yeah, this might have been a bit anti-climatic, but it's a big deal though. She's able to start eating food now instead of just milk."

Reaching over, Ichigo used Mina's bib to get some of the peas off her chin. He watched Orihime feed Mina another couple spoonfuls of peas. "Maybe we should just save the bananas until tomorrow. She seems to really be enjoying the peas."

"I think you're right," Orihime replied, her eyes moving down to the floor where Bingo had settled underneath Mina's high chair. "Bingo knows where to be when we have dinner from now on."

"Speaking of dinner," Ichigo said, motioning to their own dinner plates. "We're not doing a good job of eating ours."

"I guess we're a tiny bit distracted with a major milestone for our daughter," Orihime replied, laughing along with Ichigo. "I guess we'll be taking turns eating until she can eat on her own."

Ichigo chuckled. "Or we could just hire Karin to come over and feed her all the time. Although I don't want to temp her, because she definitely would. Now that we're officially on a level of hanging out in the same friend group; I feel like I see her too often."

"Ichigo, she's your sister."

"I know that. I think that the amount of time I see her when I go over to my dad's is enough time," Ichigo laughed. "I'm joking."

"I know you are," Orihime said, her eyes focusing back on Mina, as she noticed she was no longer accepting anymore peas. "Are you done Mina? What a big girl you are. You almost finished the whole jar."

Ichigo laughed, as he took her bib to wipe more off her face. "Yeah, and she only got a little bit left on her face."

 **The next day, November 14th**

Mina's screaming filled the air, after having to get a shot for her six-month checkup. Ichigo held Mina close to his chest, as he tried to straighten her onesie back out so he could put it back on her. "Shhh, Mina. It's okay. It's over."

"Well, that was the last thing we needed to do for this checkup," Mina's doctor spoke up after Mina's screaming lessened. "She's perfectly healthy, and we'll be seeing you again for her one-year appointment."

"Thank you." Ichigo replied shortly, as he kept his focus on Mina as he put her onesie on her.

Almost as soon as the doctor left the room, Orihime came back in and sighed at the sight. "Did I miss it?"

"Yeah, but Mina's calmed down now." Ichigo replied, moving to put Mina back in her stroller, as he put her pacifier in.

"I'm sorry I missed it, but I felt like if I didn't go pump I was going to explode."

"No worries. The doctor said she's all healthy."

"That's good to know. At least we're doing something right." Orihime joked, as they left the exam room. After going by the reception desk, they started towards the elevator.

Ichigo paused after they got in the elevator. "My dad's here. Should we go see if he's in his office?"

"Yeah sure." Orihime said, glancing at her phone as they moved down to the third floor. Once out of the elevator it only took them a couple minutes to get over to Isshin's office, and they found him standing up from his desk.

"Hey you two," Isshin greeted, as he stood up from his desk. Moving around to go and look at Mina. "How did the appointment go?"

"Mina's doing good," Ichigo replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "She's right where she should be for six months."

Isshin whistled lowly. "I can't believe she's already six-months-old."

Orihime smiled. "We were just talking about that yesterday. She is starting on baby food now too, and it just seems surreal."

"Well do you two have plans for the rest of the day?" Isshin asked, his eyes going down to his watch.

"Well we have to go to the store and pick up some things," Ichigo said, noticing how his dad was looking at his watch, then his phone. "Then we have plans to go over to Rin and Kei's house for dinner. I think Mai and Hikari are going to be meeting us too."

Isshin was quiet for a moment, then he straightened up. "As much as I hate too, I am supposed to be meeting someone for lunch."

"Alright, well you enjoy your lunch." Orihime said, reaching over to pick up Mina out of her stroller when she started to get fussy.

"Mind if we use your office for a moment?" Ichigo asked. "Mina's probably needing a bottle."

"Sure thing." Isshin replied, slipping on his jacket, before walking out the door.

Orihime accepted a bottle from Ichigo after a moment, then she gave it to Mina. "That was a little strange."

Raising an eyebrow, Ichigo sat down on the couch in his dad's office. "What was strange?"

"Your father seemed a little more dressed up than usual," Orihime replied and shrugged at Ichigo's look. "I mean I could just be over-thinking… Anyway, have you given any thought to what Mai and Hikari were talking about earlier."

Ichigo's mind switched from his dad to the conversation they had with Mai and Hikari on the phone, on the way to Mina's doctor appointment. "Well, the idea of going on a trip with all of our friends sounds nice. It might be nice to get out of Karakura for a little while."

"To the cabins up in the northern mountains. That's like a dream," Orihime said, a smile going back to her face. "It'd be nice to have all of our friends from high school all together again."

Mina making a little noise got their attention, and Ichigo finally sighed. "I don't know what we'd do with Mina though. Do we bring her with us, or leave her here with my dad? That's a pretty big decision."

"I know… It's a lot to think about," Orihime sighed. "Mai and Hikari don't have to worry as much, because they are more comfortable leaving Emi with Hikari's parents and she's going to be three-years-old in March. Mina, on the other hand, is only six months old, and we haven't really spent that much time away from her. Both of us at the same time at least."

It went quiet again for a moment, then Ichigo smiled. "We'll figure it out."

"Not to change the subject," Orihime started, as her free hand went to her stomach. "But, I'm starving."

"We can go grab something to eat first, then go to the store. There's a newer Mexican place called La Bamba. Karin's gone to it, and said she liked it."

"Sounds good to me," Orihime said, her eyes going back to Mina. "I could eat anything at this point."

 **A few days later, Thursday**

"So there are no real updates on Aizen?" Ichigo asked.

"Well," Urahara started, his eyes going from Ichigo to meet grey ones. "The information Orihime had given us gave us some new leads to try out. But there really isn't anything more we can go off of."

Orihime noticed Ichigo's frown, and she just reached over to rest her hand on his. "We didn't really expect anything else Ichigo."

"What I have some members of my division doing is collecting and going through footage from over the Summer when Aizen and that mystery woman were more active in Rosehaven," Toshiro said, getting attention to go to him. "Rangiku's been mainly in charge of organizing that, but It's a lot."

Rangiku nodded, as the others looked her way. "Even with me and a few others working on it; it's been taking us a while. There's footage from almost every building in that town, and we're looking at footage from over a period of three or four months. We haven't even gathered all the footage from the town yet."

Urahara clearing his throat got their attention again. "I think we just stay on alert, but there's really nothing they can do until they get more information to go off of."

"We haven't sensed Aizen or that woman again, and the arrancars only pop up every once in a while," Yoruichi said. "And they never really show up anywhere in Karakura, and if they do, it's not anywhere to be concerned about."

"The Somi people will keep an eye out too, but our main focus is to protect the people of the city," Rin added, her eyes moving over to Toshiro, then to Ichigo. "I really don't want Karin involved in any of this. It's not that she couldn't handle it, but she's got her own stuff going on."

"Agreed." Both Toshiro and Ichigo chorused.

"Wait a minute," Akira said, holding a hand up. "I don't think it's a good idea to leave her in the dark. I know she's still fairly green, but she's extremely talented for someone who's still in the first year of having her abilities. She could be very useful."

Rin sighed at that. "I'm not saying she wouldn't be useful, but I think it's for her benefit. She should focus on her own training and life here. There are some things coming up for her next year."

"Okay," Akira sighed, shaking her head. "Well, we'll see how long that lasts."

Rin sighed and focused down on her phone when she got a text. "Can we wrap this meeting up? I'm supposed to meet Kei and Raya for dinner."

"Yeah, we're done here." Urahara said, getting up from the table, and motioning for Yoruichi to walk with him.

It was just after Rin left that Mina started crying, and Orihime glanced to Ichigo. "We should probably go too."

"Yeah- oh wait," Ichigo said, getting the others attention. "Mai and Hikari had an idea that we should go on a trip for a few days. We could all rent out a cabin."

Rangiku nodded, as she grabbed her phone. "I think that'll be fun. I'll text Rukia and Renji."

Akira nodded, gaining a smirk on her face. "I'll ask Tatsuki, we're both off this upcoming week from school."

"I've already asked Uryu and Chad, and they will be able to come." Ichigo said, his eyes going to Toshiro.

Toshiro shrugged. "I guess it would be nice to get away."

Having settled Mina with a bottle, Orihime looked over to Toshiro. "You should invite Karin to go with us too."

"Really?" Toshiro countered, an eyebrow raised.

"Yes really," Orihime replied, smiling at Toshiro. "It'd be perfect, we would probably leave Saturday or Sunday, and come back in the middle of the week. She's on break next week."

"Okay, I'll ask her," Toshiro said, then shook his head. "It'll have to wait until tomorrow though because she's got study group this evening and I'm not going to go distract her."

Ichigo shrugged. "We're going over there tomorrow afternoon if you want to go with us."

"Yeah, that sounds good." Toshiro said.

"Ichigo," Orihime said, her eyes going from Mina to Ichigo. "We really should go. I think Mina's really just wanting to go take her nap, and this bottle is only going to soothe her for so long."

"Okay," Ichigo nodded, as he stood up and reached for Mina. "Let's get going. Rangiku, let us know about Rukia and Renji. Akira-"

"Tatsuki said yes." Akira interrupted, holding up her phone.

"Good," Orihime said, as she grabbed her bag. Her eyes going to Ichigo. "Let's get Mina home ASAP."

 **Later that evening**

Seasoning the next batch of wings to go into the oven, Orihime sighed after waiting for the current batch of wings to finish up. "It would be so nice to be in the mountains for a few days."

"Well, we practically already live in a forest over here," Ichigo said from where he was slicing up potatoes for them to make some french fries. "Well not necessarily forest, but most of the land around us is trees, and we've got some space from other people. I would say that's close enough.

"I know, but the mountain atmosphere is just different," Orihime replied, reaching down to pet Bingo. "It's going to be so nice. I've already looked into some of the shops that are in the town near the cabin we are renting."

"Did the deposit go through?" Ichigo asked, an eyebrow raised.

Orihime washed her hands and grabbed the wings to put into the oven as she pulled the first batch out. "Mai texted me earlier and told me. It was when you were in the shower."

Ichigo noticed Bingo inching closer to Orihime, as she had the oven open. He quickly reached over and nudged him out of the way. "Bingo, do you want some of your own food? Because it seems like you do."

"He wants some human food." Orihime laughed, watching Ichigo go into the laundry room, and come back with a scoop full of Bingo's food to put in his bowl.

"He might get a little something later if he's lucky." Ichigo replied, going back to the laundry room to put the scoop back, then returning to wash his hands in the kitchen.

After putting the potatoes Ichigo had cut up on a tray, Orihime put those in the oven as well, then put a timer on the stove. "Is Mina still asleep?"

Ichigo glanced over the counters and the bar counter on the other side into the living room where Mina appeared to be still fast asleep in her swing. "Yeah, she is."

"I know we've briefly talked about this already," Orihime started, leaning back against the counter. "I think it'll be good to leave Mina and Bingo with your dad."

"I agree. We'll probably be spending so much time outside, and I don't think it would be good for her. It's going to be much colder up in the mountains, and we're going to be doing a lot of things. It'll completely through her off her schedule," Ichigo agreed, his eyes glancing down to where Bingo was still finishing up the food in his bowl. "Plus Bingo loves going over to spend the night at my dad's because my dad always sneaks food off the table and gives it to him."

Orihime smiled as she looked to Bingo as well. "We'll only be gone from Saturday to Wednesday. It's not like they haven't stayed over at your dad's before."

"Yeah, and with Bingo barking every few minutes because of some sound or thing that doesn't exist, she'll feel right at home. She'll have no trouble sleeping." Ichigo said, laughing along with Orihime.

"Speaking of sleep," Orihime said, looking at the time on her phone. "Hopefully she'll wake up soon. She needs to have her dinner."

Ichigo grinned at that. "I'm more worried about her sleeping too long, then she won't want to go to sleep tonight."

"That's also crossed my mind," Orihime agreed with a laugh. "So what are we giving Mina for dinner tonight? The mushed carrots, sweet potatoes, or the strange chicken and rice mush."

Humming lowly, Ichigo shrugged. "Honestly we should just go with the chicken and rice and get it over with. Plus, she didn't really respond well this morning to the sweet potatoes or the carrots."

Orihime laughed at that. "Well, it could take a few attempts to get her to accept certain foods. Regardless, it's good that we keep offering them to her because we don't want her to grow up to be a picky eater."

"Well let's just offer her a little of all three," Ichigo said, then he chuckled. "If all else fails, she's a big fan of peas and bananas so far."

"Great, so we've at least got her eating some vegetables and fruits," Orihime said, glancing over to the living room as Mina started crying. "Looks like it's time to test out the chicken in rice. I'll go get Mina and her jar of chicken and rice, if you'll put some of those wings from the first batch on plates for us, because I am starving."

"Will do." Ichigo replied, laughing as Bingo was all of a sudden back by his side. Ready to catch any food he might happen to drop.

* * *

 **A/N: Orihime and Ichigo are going on a little Fall trip to the mountains with all their friends. What is your favorite thing to do when you go to the mountains?**

 **Don't forget to review, favorite, and share this story with others. Also be sure to check out my other stories.**

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	14. Fall Festival

_Review:_

" _Well let's just offer her a little of all three," Ichigo said, then he chuckled. "If all else fails, she's a big fan of peas and bananas so far."_

" _Great, so we've at least got her eating some vegetables and fruits," Orihime said, glancing over to the living room as Mina started crying. "Looks like it's time to test out the chicken in rice. I'll go get Mina and her jar of chicken and rice, if you'll put some of those wings from the first batch on plates for us, because I am starving."_

" _Will do." Ichigo replied, laughing as Bingo was all of a sudden back by his side. Ready to catch any food he might happen to drop._

* * *

 **A couple days later, November 19th**

"Okay, we're leaving in five minutes!" Tatsuki's voice carried up the stairs to the second floor where Orihime and Ichigo were unpacking some of their things.

"Would you stop rushing us?! The waterfall isn't going anywhere!" Ichigo called out the door down to Tatsuki.

Orihime laughed at that. "Tatsuki's just impatient like you usually are."

"I resent that," Ichigo said, although at Orihime's raised eyebrow, he chuckled. "So I might be a tiny bit impatient."

Stopping in unpacking some clothes, Orihime walked over to him and kissed him. "It's okay, I still love you," she said, then glanced around the room. They were in the mountains four hours north of Karakura, and had arrived at the cabin they were renting with their friends for the next few days. It was beautifully decorated, and the view from their window was breathtakingly beautiful. "This is going to be an amazing place to stay."

"I know," Ichigo agreed, moving over to the side of the bed that faced the window. "This is so different than our town."

Orihime shrugged, as she sat on the bed next to Ichigo. "I mean we at least have some trees where our house is. They kind of surround our house on three sides."

"That's purely because we're antisocial."

"Is that why you chose our house?"

"No, Tatsuki and I came up with very specific criteria that you would like in a house, based off what you told her, and it was the closest match," Ichigo replied, then grinned her way. "So you technically chose the house, and that means your the antisocial one."

"Wow thanks," Orihime laughed, her eyes scanning the view outside their window again. "I wish our house was here. It's just a different atmosphere here in a small town environment in the mountains than where we live. We're just outside the city, and instead of mountains in the distance we have city buildings."

"Well, we could move here if you really want to," Ichigo said, noticing that had Orihime raising an eyebrow. "What?"

"Are you crazy? The rest of our family is in Karakura- well not some of your dad's family, but still, our immediate family is there. A lot of our friends too-"

"Alright, we'll stay where we are then," Ichigo interrupted, then reached over to take her hand. "But you never know. We could change our minds in a few years."

Orihime smiled back, as she rested her head on his shoulders. "Or maybe we can just buy a cabin up here as a vacation home."

Wrapping his arm around her, Ichigo kissed the top of her head. "I like that idea too."

"Um hello!" Tatsuki's voice was heard again from downstairs. "Let's go! You are taking forever!"

Sighing at that, Orihime stood up. "I think we've made Tatsuki-I mean everyone-wait long enough."

Ichigo chuckled and followed her lead out of the room. They got to the stairs just as Toshiro was coming down from the third floor.

Toshiro held up Karin's camera. "Apparently taking pictures on her phone isn't enough."

"Oh," Orihime said, her eyes going to Ichigo. "Maybe we should get our camera too."

"No, I think our phone pictures will look perfect, and you can borrow Karin's if you need to." Ichigo replied quickly, as he waved for them to continue down the stairs.

Toshiro glanced at Orihime, who remained standing on the top of the stairs. "You still want to get yours don't you?"

"Yes." Was all Orihime said, before she turned around to go back into her and Ichigo's room.

Ichigo sighed, but still held a smile on his face. "I saw that coming."

Toshiro chuckled, as they continued down the stairs.

 **Hiking at the falls**

"Oh look at this picture Isshin sent of Mina." Orihime said, holding her phone to where Akira who was nearby could see. They were hiking just outside the little town, Wayhurst, that included the mountain where their cabin was at.

"And it's about as adorable as every single picture ever taken of her," Akira said, a smirk on her face. "You know we're in the middle of hiking now right? You're on your phone."

"Just for a second- damn," Orihime scowled, as she held her phone up a little. "I lost signal before the other picture could finish loading."

"It loaded on mine." Karin said, showing Orihime the photo. It was on their family group text.

Toshiro smirked in their direction, then looked to Ichigo. "It's either them on their phones or them stopping to take pictures every few minutes."

Ichigo grinned. "Or it was the ridiculously loud singing on the drive over here from the cabin, and on the four-hour drive from Karakura to here."

"Excuse me," Orihime said, having heard what Ichigo said. "I'll have you know that we were having fun. Karin's car playlist is so much better than mine, and I need her to help me straighten mine out."

Shaking his head, Ichigo crossed his arms. "Yeah, well I don't think you need to, because you and Karin were both very distracted when a song on the playlist came on that you both liked. I think it's dangerous."

"Obviously I'm going to focus more if I'm driving." Orihime said, as they stopped to take some pictures of the falls, as the hiking trail had gotten closer to them. They were nearly at the top, and just had about another hundred steps to go.

"Great more stairs." Ichigo sighed, as they started to get ready to get moving again.

"Come on Ichigo, this is nothing compared to the workout we get when we're training," Karin said, a smirk growing on her face. "Well, at least the workout I get."

That brought a little fire to Ichigo's eyes. "Are you saying you're stronger than me?"

Toshiro waved his hand. "I don't think that's what she was trying to say-"

"You said it, not me." Karin interrupted, propping a hand on her hip.

Orihime sighed. "Ichigo-"

"Absolutely not! I could make it to the top way before you could."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, really!"

"Well then..." Karin trailed off for a minute, then she quickly pushed Ichigo back and started up the stairs.

"Hey!" Ichigo exclaimed, catching his footing, then starting up the stairs after her. "That's unfair!"

It was quiet for a moment as Orihime and Toshiro shared a look, then they started laughing. Orihime being the first to stop, shook her head, as they started up the stairs at a slower pace. "This reminds me of bowling, and how competitive they are."

"Yeah it does," Toshiro replied, looking around at their surroundings. "We're lucky to be doing this mid-day with the sun out, because at night the temperature would plummet up here in the mountains."

"We wouldn't want that," Mai's voice caught their ears, as she and Hikari caught up with them. They had been trailing behind the others a little. "I lost service just as I was on the phone with Hikari's mother checking on Emi."

Toshiro chuckled. "You and Orihime don't seem to grasp the concept of hiking out in the wilderness that well."

"Tell me about it," Hikari agreed. "We need to start banning cell phone outside of the cabin."

"That's a terrible idea," Orihime said, as Mai said, "No."

At that moment they heard both Karin and Ichigo's loud voices from up at the top of the mountain, and that made Toshiro laugh. "Oh great, they made it up already. Hopefully, they will finish whatever argument they are about to have by the time we get up there."

 **Fifteen minutes later**

Finishing up taking a few pictures, Orihime walked over to Ichigo. "How does it feel to be the first one up to the top? Apart from Karin, of course."

Ichigo grinned and shook his head. "I was only behind her by a couple of feet."

"More like ten feet!" Karin called over from where she was taking some photos over by the railing beside the waterfall.

The others laughed, but Toshiro smirked and nudged her shoulder. "Karin."

Noticing Toshiro was trying to keep another five-minute long argument from starting up again, Orihime reached over for Ichigo's hand. "Look at how high up we are."

Ichigo glanced down the waterfall that was supposedly over seven hundred feet from top to bottom. Then at what seemed like endless forest for miles, and the mountains in the distance. "The view is amazing."

Orihime held up her camera again to take a couple more photos. "This was definitely worth the two-hour hike up here."

"Yeah, but I didn't realize this trip would include this much exercise," Ichigo said, then he grinned at Orihime. "At least not this kind of exercise."

"Ichigo!" Orihime exclaimed, feeling her cheeks grow warm, as she turned quickly to the others to change the subject. "Where are we going to go from here?"

"I'm starving." Was all Renji said.

Glancing from Renji to the others, Rukia motioned to the bridge that would take them across the river that led to the waterfall. "Aren't there restaurants up here?"

"Yeah," Hikari said, holding up one of the guides they had grabbed from the visitor center at the beginning of the hiking trail. "If we continue on this trail for another mile or so, there is a really good restaurant."

"How are we supposed to eat, then hike all the way back down the mountain?" Tatsuki asked.

Akira nodded in agreement with Tatsuki. "Yeah, I'll probably be ready to sleep by then."

"Same." Karin agreed.

"Come on. You are all very active and physically fit people. You can handle it," Orihime said, noticing that didn't stop grumbling from some of the others, she sighed. "Don't worry you guys. There is a trolly that will take us back down the mountain to where we parked our cars."

"Now why didn't you just say that in the first place?" Akira countered, starting towards the bridge.

"Let's go." Rangiku said, heading towards the bridge as well.

"Where's the fun in that?" Mai asked, sharing a laugh with Orihime, as they followed the others to the bridge.

 **Later that night**

"We're probably going to go ahead and go to bed." Ichigo said, as he and Orihime both started to get up from the couch they were on.

"Already? It's only nine o'clock." Tatsuki said, looking at the time on her phone.

"We probably would have gone to bed right after dinner at seven,, but we tried really hard to make it this far." Ichigo replied, sharing a smile with Orihime.

Orihime motioned to some of the others. "You three have had the luxury of being able to stay up late for fun in college, but Ichigo and I don't get to stay up for fun. It's a lot different when you're being kept awake for not fun things. Like, for example, Mina started teething a couple months ago, and her sleep cycle got completely disrupted. Now she sleeps during the day and not that much at night."

"So essentially Orihime and I area awake all day and all night," Ichigo smirked. "So we're taking advantage of being able to bed early and being able to sleep through the night."

"Amen to that." Mai said, nodding along with Hikari.

"It's not like it's much easier for us, but at least Emi sleeps for longer stretches." Hikari added.

Tatsuki whistled lowly. "Wow, I'm so glad I don't have to worry about that."

"At least not on purpose anyway." Orihime shot back, smiling as she noticed that took Tatsuki aback.

Tatsuki, however, grinned after a moment. "Damn, shots fired."

Akira was focusing on Karin. "You know, Karin you look like you're about to fall asleep too."

"Yeah, well I got a work out in today, and I ate a lot of food at dinner." Karin replied, from where she was sitting with Toshiro's arm around her.

"You're the youngest out of everyone here," Rangiku said. "Shouldn't you be wide awake and staying up all night?"

"You've got the wrong Kurosaki sister. I find no enjoyment in staying up all night." Karin replied with a yawn.

"Which I appreciate." Toshiro added, smirking back at Karin.

"Let's watch a movie." Rukia suggested as she pulled up Netflix on the TV

Chad stood up from the couch. "I'll go start some popcorn."

Ichigo and Orihime shared a look, as they both turned to go to the stairs. "Okay, we're going to bed."

After Ichigo's words, Orihime turned her head to look at the others. "Goodnight everyone."

Everyone said their goodbyes before Ichigo and Orihime walked up to the second floor. A few minutes later, they were finally in bed and had been silent as they enjoyed the moment. Ichigo finally chuckled. "This is kind of weird."

"What is?"

"Not having to put Mina to sleep in her crib… and having Bingo at the foot of the bed."

Orihime laughed a little "I never thought I'd miss that last one, but you're right."

"But this is still kind of nice."

"Of course it's nice. We're in a beautiful cabin, in the mountains, and we're in bed at nine and have the opportunity to sleep all night without being interrupted. We're going to the Fall Festival tomorrow… This is perfect."

After Orihime stopped talking, they were quiet for a long time. Then finally they both moved to grab their phones from the bedside table, as Ichigo looked over to Orihime. "Better check on Mina one last time."

"Yeah, definitely." Orihime agreed, pulling up her text messages.

 **The next morning, Sunday**

Breaking apart from their kiss, Ichigo pushed her damp hair over her shoulder, as they walked out of the bathroom. "We never really get to have mornings like this at home."

"Another thing I like about being on vacation," Orihime said, kissing Ichigo again. "That and being able to stay in bed as long as we want."

"While that's true, we should probably stay out of bed. At least for this morning," Ichigo said, using a towel to finish drying his own damp hair. "We're going into Wayhurst. You wanted to go look at the shops, then go to that little festival that's just outside the town."

"Yes, I do remember..." Orihime trailed off, then she moved with him to the door. "Let's get our day started."

As they started down the stairs, Ichigo smiled. "I kind of like how we started the day already."

"I did too," Orihime said, smiling as her eyes met Ichigo's as they got to the main floor. Her eyes moved over to see Mai and Hikari. "Good morning."

"Are we going to that breakfast place?" Ichigo asked as he and Orihime joined the others.

"That's the plan." Mai said, taking a long sip of coffee.

Hikari chuckled, as he sat down next to Mai at the kitchen table. "Apparently no one else is on the "having a kid" sleep schedule."

Orihime poured herself and Ichigo some coffee, as Ichigo put creamer in hers. They joined Mai and Hikari over at the table, and she found herself admiring the view outside. The big windows that looked out onto the deck also gave them a great view of the forest around them.

"So after breakfast, we're going to go look at the shops, and go to the festival?" Ichigo asked, taking a long sip of his coffee.

"Yeah," Mai said, having had pulled up some stuff on her phone. "Then we might take the train to a small town thirty minutes away. They are supposed to have a big ceremony to reveal their Christmas lights, and they apparently go all out."

Orihime looked over at some of the photos Mai had on her phone. "I'm mostly excited for the shops-"

"Oh no. Shopping?" Hikari interrupted.

Mai nodded back at him. "Yes, shopping. Wayhurst has tons of shops that have been there for a long time. Some for fifty years and there are even a few that have been there for almost seventy years."

At Mai's raised eyebrow, Hikari sighed. "Oh boy… I can't wait."

Ichigo laughed at that. "Well at least we're going to the Fall festival, and that means we'll be getting some food."

"That's the only thing that matters." Hikari replied, smirking as that made both Mai and Orihime laugh.

 **A few hours later**

"I don't know which one to choose."

"Orihime, I think the real question is: do we really need to get one?" Ichigo countered, his eyes sweeping around the pumpkins that surrounded them. They were in a little pumpkin patch just outside the festival. They had spent the past two hours in town, and were now enjoying some of what they festival had to offer.

"Of course we need a pumpkin, Ichigo," Orihime said, kneeling down next to some. "It's necessary."

"Is it really though? Because we already bought pumpkins when it was Halloween. We got two for us, then a tiny one for Mina." Ichigo reminded her, however, he could tell that didn't change her mind.

"Those were for decoration," Orihime replied, resting her hand on a potential pumpkin candidate. "I've been craving pumpkin pie, and these pumpkins are perfect for it."

That finally brought a smile to Ichigo's face. "I guess we can get a pumpkin or two. As long as we are going to use them."

Orihime straightened back up, and they continued walking through the pumpkin patch. "Of course we'll use them."

"And maybe we can roast the seeds," Ichigo said, now full on board with the idea. "There was this way that Yuzu roasted them that was perfect. I'm contemplating asking her, but there's no telling what kind of mood she's in today."

"Ichigo."

"Well, you know how she is sometimes. One minute she's all nice and normal, then the next minute she's starting an argument with Karin or dad for no reason," Ichigo said, then he laughed. "Although that's pretty entertaining for me."

"Leave Yuzu be," Orihime said, sighing as they went down another row of pumpkins. "I kind of feel bad that we didn't invite her to come with us."

Ichigo shrugged. "I get that, but technically we wouldn't have invited Karin either. She's dating Toshiro, and that's why she was invited."

"I guess… I just worry that she might feel left out."

"I highly doubt she does. When we're actually at home, whether our actual home or my dad's house, she acts like we don't exist half the time… The other half the time, she actually leaves the house so she doesn't have to pretend we don't exist."

Chuckling at Ichigo's words, Orihime shrugged. "She's probably just going through a phase. Up until this point, she's been relatively normal. She's extremely nice and thoughtful, but she's just kind of pushing the boundaries a little. It's completely normal."

"Kind of like how you and Tatsuki apparently went through a phase of doing a bunch of illegal things." Ichigo said, smirking at Orihime's eye roll.

"You make it sound like we were pulling stuff like they did in Fast and Furious," Orihime said, noticing how that made Ichigo raise an eyebrow at her. "That was one time, and we never did it again."

"Uh-huh," Ichigo hummed, then motioned towards a rather large pumpkin. "What about this one?"

Kneeling down, Orihime looked closely for a moment, then she stood back up. "It's perfect."

Leaning over, Ichigo scooped the pumpkin up. "Alright, let's go pay for this one, then go put it in the car."

Orihime smiled big as they started walking. "Then we can go try some of the food."

"You don't have to tell me twice." Ichigo said, grinning back at Orihime.

 **Over an hour later**

"Okay, this is really good." Orihime said, humming happily as she sipped at her hot chocolate. They were sitting at a picnic table at the carnival out in the sun, and enjoying some of the food from the festival.

"What's been your favorite so far?" Ichigo asked.

"I don't know. I really liked the apple dumplings, then the thing with the sausage and peppers was really good- Oh! That giant turkey leg was also great," Orihime said, stopping to look down at the funnel cake in front of them. "And this funnel cake is pretty amazing too."

Ichigo laughed. "I agree… I don't know how much I'm going to be able to eat of it though. Because even though we split all of that stuff; it is still a lot of food."

"You're right," Orihime agreed, as she took another sip of hot chocolate to wash down the funnel cake she just ate. "This hot chocolate is also is pretty good. Even though we're dressed in layers; my face is still pretty cold."

"So," Mai's voice was heard, as she and Hikari appeared from behind them. They walked around the table to sit on the other side. "We've had too much food."

Hikari nodded, and rested his elbows on the table. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure that I am about to go into a food coma."

"Same here," Ichigo agreed, an eyebrow raised at Orihime still managing to eat the rest of the funnel cake. "We need something that will help wake us up."

"Like more hot chocolate." Orihime said, as she took another sip of the hot chocolate they had.

Ichigo smirked. "I was thinking more like a coffee because usually hot chocolate makes people go to sleep… Except for you apparently."

That made Mai laugh. "That is because of the amount of sugar that Orihime usually puts in her hot chocolates."

"I didn't make this one," Orihime said, motioning to the one she was holding. "However, it is still pretty sweet with all the marshmallows and chocolate syrup I had added to it."

The others laughed, and when it settled Mai looked down at her phone. "We just got to video chat with Hikari's parents and Emi, and they were at the apple farm. I'm definitely missing her right now."

"I know. I appreciate all the photos and video chats with Isshin and Mina, but it makes me miss her so much," Orihime agreed, as she sighed. "And Bingo apparently is doing every cute thing on the planet in the pictures we get of him, and I miss him too."

"Speaking of Bingo," Karin said, as she and Toshiro walked over. "Did you look at the family's group chat? My dad sent a picture of Bingo and Zorro sleeping next to each other by the fireplace."

"Yes, they were so precious." Orihime said, pulling up said picture to show Mai.

"Aw, they are just trying to stay warm," Mai said, sighing at how cute the animals were. "Zorro's so cute. I want a cat now."

"Oh geez." Hikari groaned, slapping a hand to his face, as the others laughed.

Toshiro glanced down at the funnel cake Orihime was eating. "You two made it to the funnel cakes? We stopped after the apple dumpling booth because couldn't eat anymore."

"Well, we actually went out of order and started with the apple dumplings, then some savory foods, and now we're back at dessert and hot chocolate," Ichigo explained, as his eyes went back to the funnel cake. "We don't really think we're going to be able to try anything else."

"Maybe we can come back tomorrow or the next day to try more." Karin suggested, her eyes going over to the side where Akira and Tatsuki approached.

"Hey, we need to head over to the train station if we're going to catch the train to the next town over in time." Akira said, as she and Tatsuki stopped by them.

"Have you two been drinking?" Ichigo asked.

Tatsuki laughed shortly. "Of course we have."

Akira pulled out a flask, as she shook it a little. "How else are we supposed to stay warm when it's cold outside?"

"Well, I would say that wearing more than just light jackets would probably help." Ichigo deadpanned.

"Nobody asked you," Tatsuki shot back, and the others laughed. "Are we going or not?"

Orihime smiled, and she pulled out her phone. "Yeah, let's just see where the others are first."

 **Later that evening**

"We're going to be right back on this train tomorrow to go skiing." Orihime said, as the boarded the train to go back to the little town of Wayhurst where their cars were parked.

"I'm excited to go ski," Rangiku said, as they went to sit down. "I've never gone skiing before."

"I'm not that excited. I'm not looking forward to how cold it's going to be." Renji disagreed, as he and Rukia sat down next to each other.

"I'm just not looking forward to the hour-long train ride to get to the mountains with the snow on them," Rukia said. "Why didn't we just get a cabin that was near those snowy mountains? Why did we go to a cabin that didn't get snow?"

Renji smirked in Rukia's direction. "Do you really want to be surrounded by snow for days at a time?"

Rukia smiled. "Fair enough."

"Can we stop by the liquor store before we go back to the cabin?" Akira asked as the train started moving.

Orihime nodded. "A bottle of wine would be nice. Then we can go back and watch a movie."

"Orihime and I got a pumpkin," Ichigo said, reaching over for her hand. "She was thinking about making a pumpkin pie-"

"Oh," Karin interrupted, as she turned in her seat to look across the aisle to Orihime and Ichigo. "Can we roast the pumpkin seeds?"

"That's what I was saying," Ichigo said with a shrug. "However, I don't remember how Yuzu makes them."

"Oh," Mai started, as she turned her head to look back at them. "Let me give it a try. Hikari's grandmother has this way of doing them that makes them turn out just right everytime."

Hikari raised a hand. "I second that."

"What a perfect way to end the day? Drinking, watching movies, and pumpkin pie and roasted pumpkin seeds. However, I am mostly excited about the drinking, because I'm slowly starting to feel hungover from day drinking and I think I might die." Tatsuki sighed happily.

Karin chuckled, and Ichigo met her eyes. "I don't really think you need to participate in that."

Karin smirked back at Ichigo. "You are not my dad, and you have absolutely no authority over me."

"Maybe not, but if I called dad-"

"Don't threaten to call dad. If you did call him, I would tell him that I might have a glass of wine or two, and he would be okay with it. It helps because I'm actually honest with him about things," Karin said, then she laughed. "You actually set the bar pretty low on things I can get away with Ichigo. I think it was between the disappearing acts you pulled from age 15 to 16, then the unplanned pregnancy at seventeen. No offense Orihime."

"None taken." Orihime replied, making the others laugh.

"Karin." Toshiro said, smirking as he nudged her shoulder.

Karin sighed as she looked away from her brother. "Besides, we're on vacation. Having fun is supposed to be the point, Ichigo."

Ichigo grumbled something incoherent under his breath, as he looked away from her. "Fine."

As the others attention went to Uryu who was telling them about something. Orihime smiled at Ichigo's frown. "Ichigo."

Meeting Orihime's eyes, Ichigo's frown softened, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "I'm just a little overprotective."

"I know, and it's really sweet of you. But your little sister isn't so little anymore," Orihime said, chuckling a little. "At her age, Tatsuki and I were doing much more than just a simple glass of wine."

Ichigo laughed. "More adventures with Tatsuki that you won't tell me about."

"I keep saying this, but trust me Ichigo. You really don't want to know." Orihime replied, her smile widened as that made Ichigo smile.

Leaning over, Ichigo kissed her, then their focus went out the window. The train was finally far enough away that the little town with all the lights started disappearing in the distance.

* * *

 **A/N: I hope you all are enjoying their trip so far. If you to see what else is happening on their trip, you can go over to my story Secrets & Dreams. Chapter 16 from Secrets & Dreams is from Karin and Toshiro's point of view of certain events that happen over the trip, and includes Orihime and Ichigo and their friends here and there.**

 **Don't forget to review, favorite, and share this story with others. Also be sure to check out my other stories.**

 **Be sure to like my page (Ruby1235 Fanfiction) on Facebook and follow me on twitter ( Ruby1235Fanfic) for updates, sneak peeks, and hints for current and new stories :)**


	15. Just the Two of Us

_Review:_

 _Ichigo laughed. "More adventures with Tatsuki that you won't tell me about."_

" _I keep saying this, but trust me Ichigo. You really don't want to know." Orihime replied, her smile widened as that made Ichigo smile._

 _Leaning over, Ichigo kissed her, then their focus went out the window. The train was finally far enough away that the little town with all the lights started disappearing in the distance._

* * *

 **The next day, November 21st**

Shifting a little on the ski lift, Ichigo glanced around them at the snowy mountain. They had gone by train an hour north of where they were staying at Wayhurst, and were at one of the skiing mountains. "We might die."

"It'll be fine Ichigo," Orihime said to reassure him. "We practiced on the smaller mountain, and we were fine."

"You're only saying it'll be fine, because you've actually gone skiing before." Ichigo replied, still glancing back behind them as they were pretty far up the mountain now.

Orihime smiled, as she reached over to rest her gloved hand on Ichigo's. "I was nervous my first time too, and I ended up okay."

Their attention went ahead of them, as Tatsuki and Rukia had got off the lift, and started skiing down the mountain. "Let me guess, you went with Tatsuki on that ski trip."

"Of course I did," Orihime said, putting her goggles back on her face, as they got close to jumping off the lift themselves. "Come on Ichigo let's do this."

Taking a deep breath, Ichigo followed Orihime's lead as they jumped off the lift. The next several minutes went by in a blur, and they finally slowed to a stop towards the bottom of the mountain. "Okay, that was actually pretty fun. Let's do it again."

"I knew you'd like it," Orihime smiled, taking a sharp breath. "This is a lot different of an experience when there isn't tequila running through my system."

"Wow and here you were telling me it was fine the first ski trip you went on. Come to find out you and Tatsuki were probably drunk the entire time." Ichigo replied, grinning as that made Orihime laugh.

"Well, it took the edge off okay?" Orihime countered, taking the goggles off her eyes. "Although it was still just as fun sober, but I didn't fall nearly as many times as I did that last time."

That had both Orihime and Ichigo laugh, just as Karin and Toshiro both came down to a stop near them. The two were laughing, as Karin took off her goggles. "I almost just died, but it's all good."

"That was probably the funniest thing I've ever seen in my entire life." Toshiro said, still unable to stop laughing.

"Shut up," Karin shot back, smirking at him. "I'm going to push you over next time."

"Well you will have to catch me first, and if it goes like it did this time; I won't have to worry." Toshiro shot back, making them all laugh.

"So do you two want to move over to the bigger mountain?" Ichigo asked, then he smirked at Karin. "Unless you can't handle it."

Karin glared back at Ichigo. "Of course I can handle it. I'm going to do so much better than you will."

"In your dreams." Ichigo shot back.

"Well, I figured that their competitive streak would end after how much they were complaining after the whole race up to the top of the falls." Toshiro said to Orihime.

"I'm surprised it hasn't gotten worse," Orihime said, making them both chuckle, as she cleared her throat to get Karin and Ichigo's attention. "I'm sorry to interrupt you two, but before we leave to the bigger mountain; we should check with the others."

"I'll go-"

"I'll do it." Karin interrupted Ichigo, as she started down the smaller slope in the direction of the others.

"Karin!" Ichigo exclaimed as she had nudged his shoulder causing him to almost fall over.

After Ichigo started down the smaller slope as well, Orihime and Toshiro chuckled. "I guess we should follow them."

"Yeah." Orihime agreed as they started down after them.

It was only Rukia, Akira, Hikari, and Chad at the bottom. Akira didn't want to ski, as she already had a broken bone this year and didn't want another one. Renji, Rangiku, Uryu, and Mai also didn't want to ski, so they were at the ski lodge.

"We're going to catch the ski lift to the bigger mountain." Hikari said, as Orihime and Toshiro met up with them.

"Okay, well the plan was to meet up with the others in an hour or so," Orihime started, eying the bigger mountain. "So we'll probably get to go down the mountain two or three times, as long as the ski lift doesn't get backed up."

"Sounds good to me," Ichigo said, as he motioned towards the ski lift. "Let's go."

 **That evening**

"Okay, it was definitely worth coming back." Orihime said, having finished up her cotton candy before joining Ichigo on the seat of the ferris wheel.

"Are you saying that because of the cotton candy?" Ichigo countered.

Orihime hummed in thought. "Well, that and the funnel cake, the chili fries- oh and the turkey leg!"

They both laughed as Ichigo wrapped his arm around her. "It's all about the food."

"I mean I enjoyed the rides too, but with it being so cold, all the fast one's kind of caused me to freeze to almost death." Orihime replied as they started circling around.

"This one is at least pretty slow," Ichigo said, his eyes going to Orihime to see her smiling. "What?"

"This kind of reminds me of the New Years festival," Orihime replied, as they started the second rotation around the ferris wheel. "This and the carousel was all I could ride while pregnant."

Ichigo nodded and chuckled. "It's kind of crazy to think that this time last year we didn't have Mina yet. It feels like forever ago that you were pregnant with her."

"I know, but it's been the most amazing time. She's almost six and a half months old, and I can't get over it."

"I know…" Ichigo trailed off as they reached the top of the ferris wheel for the fourth time, and they slowed to a stop. In the distance, they could see the small little town in the distance with all the beautiful lights that they visited yesterday.

"Wow, this is such a beautiful view."

"This would be nice to see every day."

Orihime looked over to Ichigo. "Maybe we could think seriously about buying a cabin up here. I think the people who own the one we are renting are putting it up for sale next year. Maybe we can talk to your dad and make it a family thing."

"I like that idea very much," Ichigo said, leaning over to kiss her. "I think we should go meet up with the others soon."

"I don't know… I've kind of enjoyed our alone time. We've been doing stuff with the others all day for the past two days," Orihime met his eyes. "Maybe we can take another half hour to spend just the two of us."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow and smirked at her. "You just want to go to the stand with the cinnamon buns don't you?"

"Yes, and the ice cream floats!"

"It's freezing outside."

"We can also go get hot chocolate," Orihime said, pausing as they got off the ferris wheel. "It'll warm you up after the ice cream."

Ichigo chuckled and took her hand as they started walking. "After how much we've eaten today; we're not going to be able to move later. How are we going to go skiing again tomorrow if we can't move?"

"We'll be fine," Orihime laughed. "However, we might spend a little more time up at the ski lodge by the fireplace in the morning though. I don't think I can brace the cold that early in the morning again."

"Sounds good to me," Ichigo said, as they reached the booth with the cinnamon buns. "Alright let's get some cinnamon buns, but when it comes to the ice cream, you're on your own. I can't handle that coldness this late in the day."

Orihime smiled. "That's alright with me."

 **Tomorrow afternoon**

"Okay, I'm going to be sore tomorrow." Ichigo said, as he walked into the ski lodge after having spent the last three hours skiing.

"Same," Orihime agreed, brushing some snow off of her shoulder before stepping inside as well. "Maybe we can get Toshiro or Karin to drive us back to Karakura tomorrow, and we can just hang out in the back seat."

"If Karin's driving, it'll be a worse experience for me."

"She's not a bad driver Ichigo," Orihime said, then she shook her head. "You really don't have room to judge."

"Hey! Excuse me," Ichigo laughed. "I'm a very good driver."

Orihime shook her head and smiled at his raised eyebrow. "I've almost died in the car with you before."

"That was one time, and that stop sign came out of nowhere-" Ichigo broke off as they passed another couple, and they moved over to the coffee bar to make themselves some coffee. "I am a great driver."

"Uh huh," Orihime laughed, as they moved over to go sit in one of the big sitting areas by a fireplace. Admiring the snowy slopes through the windows, she sighed. "I can't believe this is only an hour away from our cabin, where there is no snow anywhere."

Ichigo nodded, as he sipped his coffee. "This is at a much higher elevation, and sometimes that's just how it is."

Orihime's phone buzzed, and she read a text from Tatsuki. "Apparently Akira and Tatsuki are at the bar. The actual bar, not the coffee bar, and I think it's upstairs."

"Do we have to go?" Ichigo countered, leaning back on the couch cushions, and stretching his feet out towards the fireplace. "This is so cozy and warm."

Smiling at how comfortable Ichigo looked, Orihime shook her head. "No, we can just pick them up from the bar before we leave."

"Emphasis on _pick up_."

"You know, I used to be fun and do stuff like day drink," Orihime replied with a sigh. Noticing Ichigo's raised eyebrow, she waved her hand. "Obviously I did it with Tatsuki before I got pregnant and you were around."

Ichigo smile grew back on his face. "Well if you want to join them you can. All I have to say is that if I get any embarrassing video of you after you are a few drinks in, and I will keep that footage forever. I will show it to you and everyone else we know for the rest of our lives."

Orihime laughed, as she snuggled up a little closer to Ichigo. "Well as tempting as that is; I'll take a pass. Mostly because you were right that this is very cozy and warm."

It quieted down between them for a few minutes, as they sipped on their coffee and warmed up by the fire. Ichigo glanced back out the window at the snowy mountain. "Everyone else must still be skiing. Well, not everyone."

"Mai and Hikari decided to spend the day out just the two of them, and Karin and Toshiro went off to do their own thing too."

"I guess we're kind of doing that too… It's been nice spending time with our friends, but I've really enjoyed spending time with you. Just the two of us."

"I've enjoyed it too," Orihime agreed, as they kissed again. "I've honestly really enjoyed this trip in general. Everything we've done has been so much fun. I really just like the atmosphere in this area and the view."

Ichigo shrugged, as he held up his phone for her to see a photo from his dad of Mina and Bingo sharing her play mat. "I kind of miss home a lot. More specifically I miss these two."

Orihime laughed as she had saw the picture earlier when Isshin sent it to the family's group chat. "You know that your dad apparently changed her food interest. She's trying all sorts of new foods apparently."

Shaking his head, Ichigo set his phone back down. "You mean she's trying all sorts of that mush."

"It's baby food Ichigo," Orihime laughed. "Moving on, Bingo is also enjoying staying over at your dad's."

"Yeah, apparently he's getting along better with Karin's cat, Zorro."

"I know, I saw a picture of them snuggling up next to each other that Isshin sent..." Orihime trailed off and sighed. "Bingo's going to be so sad to leave his fur cousin when we get back."

Noticing a look in Orihime's eye, Ichigo quickly shook his head. "Oh no, we do not need to go get a cat of our own to make up for it. We can always bring Bingo over to my dad's to visit Zorro."

"I didn't say-"

Ichigo's laugh interrupted Orihime. "The look in your eyes said it all Orihime."

Their friends coming through the front doors of the lodge caught their attention. Renji scowling. "I knew I didn't miss anything when I didn't go skiing the other day."

"You only fell one time. It wasn't even that bad." Rukia laughed.

"But the cold is bad." Renji shot back, smiling when he made Rukia laugh again.

As they walked over to Orihime and Ichigo, Uryu glanced around. "Where are Akira and Tatsuki?"

"Take a guess." Ichigo replied.

Rangiku hummed lowly. "Where's the bar at?"

"Upstairs-"

"They are upstairs then." Uryu interrupted Orihime, making the others laugh.

"How about we sit over here by the fire for a little while, then go grab something to eat?" Chad suggested.

"I think I'm just going to go to the bar." Rangiku said, even though the others sat down on the couches.

"Have fun!" Orihime called over as Rangiku started up the big staircase. Moving a little closer to Ichigo to make more room on the couch for someone else to sit down. Resting her head on his shoulder, her eyes moved to the big window that showed the snowy mountains, and she sighed. _This has been the perfect trip, but I'm kind of ready to go home and see my baby girl._

 **The next morning, Wednesday**

Finishing packing up her suitcase, Orihime walked through their bedroom and bathroom to double check they got everything. "It looks like we're good."

"Are you sure? Should we triple check?" Ichigo countered, grinning at Orihime's eye roll.

"Haha. I was just making absolutely sure." Orihime replied, smiling as Ichigo wrapped his arm around her and kissed her. Ichigo opened the sliding door, and they stepped out on the balcony. It had snowed a little last night, and there was still quiet a bit on the balcony. "I'm a little worried about driving home. At least down the mountain."

Ichigo shrugged. "Well, if we die, it'll be Toshiro's fault because he will be driving."

Laughing at that, Orihime shook her head. "That's not comforting. They have been putting salt on the roads so it shouldn't be too bad. I'm just worried about random patches they could have missed."

"I'm sure they are really good at that Orihime. It probably snows up here all the time," Ichigo replied, as he looked down at his phone for the time. "We should head downstairs."

"Okay..." Orihime trailed off, remaining out on the balcony for another moment, then she turned to go back in. After they grabbed their suitcases, they stopped in the entryway to the cabin, as Hikari was coming from the living room. "Akira and Tatsuki just left. Uryu and Chad called, and said they were almost halfway back to Karakura Town."

"See Orihime," Ichigo said, getting her attention. "Chad and Uryu made it down the mountain just fine."

"Chad has snow tires on his truck Ichigo." Orihime replied shortly, going to check the weather on her phone again.

Ichigo and Hikari shared a smirk, as Mai came down the stairs. "We're going to go ahead and leave. Rangiku, Rukia, and Renji are already in the car."

"You guys be careful going back." Ichigo said as he and Hikari shook hands.

"Will do." Hikari said as he and Mai left outside.

Ichigo focused back on Orihime, and smirked. "Checking the weather again."

"Yes Ichigo, I'm concerned about our safety here." Orihime shot back shortly, as she looked back at her phone.

Karin's laughter was heard, as she and Toshiro came down the stairs. "Don't do that when we are walking down the stairs. I could have fell and died or something."

"I didn't do anything," Toshiro replied, smirking at her. "You're just paranoid."

"You're such a liar," Karin said, laughing along with Toshiro this time, as they got to the bottom of the stairs. Her eyes moved from Orihime to Ichigo. "Are we the last ones?"

"Yeah," Ichigo said, as they left the cabin to go put their suitcases in the trunk of the car. His eyes went to Toshiro. "Just so you know, Orihime's convinced that you're going to kill us driving down the mountain in the snow.."

Toshiro raised an eyebrow and smirked at Orihime. "Thanks for the confidence."

"I never said that," Orihime replied, frowning at Ichigo, then at Toshiro. "But there could be black ice on the road."

"They salted the roads this morning." Karin said, finishing with her suitcase, and opened the 2nd door on the passenger side to throw her bag in.

"That doesn't necessarily mean that they salted the entire road," Orihime replied, going over to the 2nd door on the driver's side to get in the car as well. "They could have missed a spot."

Both Toshiro and Ichigo's laughter was heard from the back of the car, before Ichigo shut the trunk. They both walked around to their respective sides, and got in the front two seats. Toshiro turning around in the driver's seat to look at Orihime. "We'll be fine."

"We'll see." Orihime replied.

Orihime's quick reply took Toshiro a little off guard, then he chuckled and cranked the car up. "Alright Orihime."

"Wait!" Karin exclaimed, before Toshiro could back the car up out of the driveway.

Hitting the breaks a little harshly, Toshiro glanced back again. "What?"

"I have to connect my Spotify to the car first." Karin replied, her eyes looking down on her phone.

Ichigo sighed, and looked back at Karin. "Did you really have to yell for that? You almost gave everyone a heart attack."

"Don't be so dramatic Ichigo." Karin shot back, as her Spotify finally connected to the car.

Orihime smiled, as she looked over at Karin's phone. "What's on the playlist today?"

 **Later that evening**

Ichigo put a load of laundry into the washer and turned it on. Bingo trotting into the laundry room got his attention, as he dropped a toy on the ground. "Did you enjoy your time outside Bingo? It's been a whole five days since you've been in your own backyard."

Bingo barked at Ichigo, as he wagged his tail furiously.

Ichigo put the toy Bingo dropped in the bin of outside toys, and he grabbed a scoop of Bingo's dog food. Walking out to the kitchen, he put the food in Bingo's bowl, returned the scoop back to the laundry room, and came back out. "Bingo's getting his dinner."

"When is our dinner supposed to get here?" Orihime countered, having put the screen back in front of the fire after adding another log onto it.

Ichigo looked to his phone to check on their Postmate. "In five minutes."

"Good, I'm starving," Orihime said, then she turned to look at Mina who was asleep in her rocker sleeper. "Mina certainly enjoyed her dinner."

"Yeah the squash and pineapple mush seemed real appetizing," Ichigo said, moving over to sit on the big couch. "My dad certainly did get Mina eating a lot of different types of food though."

"I'm glad because it seemed all we could do is get her to eat peas and bananas regularly." Orihime replied, picking up some of the toys Mina had on her play mat.

Ichigo glanced over the back of the couch as he heard Bingo watching over from where his bowl was in the kitchen. Dropping pieces of kibble from his mouth here and there. "However, Bingo now seems to make a mess everytime he eats."

"He just doesn't want to be alone in the kitchen while we are in the living room. We've been away for five days, he probably misses us." Orihime said, pointing out pieces of kibble for Bingo to eat off the floor on his way back over to his food bowl.

"He's not alone. Our kitchen is mostly open to our living room," Ichigo pointed out, a smirk as he looked back at Bingo again. "He left a trail from his bowl to the living room, and it's like he's using it to find his way back to his bowl."

"That's not going to be fun to step on later," Orihime said, sitting on one of the bar stools, and noticing how that made Bingo stay at his bowl to finish his food. "I'm so ready for Christmas."

Ichigo smirked, as he looked at her from the couch. "We still have another week of November."

"I know, but I'm just excited to go buy Christmas decorations," Orihime replied, as she scrolled through some decoration ideas on Pinterest. "We don't have any for our home."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "I recall you buying some decorations before we left on our trip."

"That was only a little bit. We still have so much more to get," Orihime said, stopping on a tree photo. "Oh and a tree! I can't wait to get our first tree for the house."

"I can already see the thousands of dollars we're about to spend." Ichigo sighed, but still held a smile on his face as he looked at Orihime.

"We won't spend that much… Probably."

Ichigo laughed before Orihime could say anything else. Mina woke up at that moment and started fussing. He stood up and scooped her up. "She needs a change."

A knock on the door was heard, then Bingo started barking as he had finished his food. Orihime got up from the bar stool. "Finally."

"Will you grab the food?" Ichigo asked, raising his voice a little to be heard over Mina's crying and Bingo's barking.

"Yeah." Orihime said, having grabbed some cash from her wallet for a tip.

Ichigo took Mina upstairs, and it felt much colder upstairs. He took Mina into the nursery to change her. "We are going to have to turn the heat on Mina, because we are not going to be able to sleep up here if it's this cold."

After changing Mina's diaper, Ichigo picked her back up, and put her pacifier in as she was no longer crying. Once back downstairs, he crossed over to the other side of the hall and turned the heat on. After double checking the front door was locked, her returned to the living room. "I had to turn the heat on. I know it's warm down here with the fireplace, but it's pretty cold upstairs."

"Alright, it should probably be nice and toasty up there by the time we give Mina her bath before bed." Orihime replied, setting their food from La Bamba on the table.

"Yeah that's the plan," Ichigo said, trying to set Mina in her rocker sleeper, but she had no interest in being put down and started to fuss each time he tried. Bringing her over to the table, he sat down in a chair. "I guess Mina will be joining us for dinner. Not to eat, but just for fun."

Orihime laughed, as Bingo had come over to lay down next to her chair. "I guess Bingo is too, but he probably has intentions to eat if he's lucky and we drop some food on the floor."

Ichigo laughed along with her this time. "I'm glad we're home."

"Me too," Orihime agreed, but she sighed. "I am not looking forward to the rest of unpacking though."

"At least we unpacked some clothes and are washing them, and that way we can feel a little productive. We can unpack the rest of our stuff tomorrow." Ichigo replied, adjusting so Mina was in his left arm, and he picked up his fork.

"Or the next day." Orihime said, making them both laugh. As they started to eat, Orihime let her eyes go down to Bingo, then to Mina and Ichigo. _It's nice to be home._

* * *

 **A/N: This chapter was so much fun to write. I did kind of an official crossover for Secrets & Dreams and this story. I know both stories go along with each other for the most part, but this chapter and the last chapter crossed over a lot with the events in Secrets & Dreams chapter 17. So if you want to read more from their trip, go check out my other story.**

 **Don't forget to review, favorite, and share this story with others. Also be sure to check out my other stories.**

 **Be sure to like my page (Ruby1235 Fanfiction) on Facebook and follow me on twitter ( Ruby1235Fanfic) for updates, sneak peeks, and hints for current and new stories :)**


	16. Dinner With The Family

_Review:_

" _Me too," Orihime agreed, but she sighed. "I am not looking forward to the rest of unpacking though."_

" _At least we unpacked some clothes and are washing them, and that way we can feel a little productive. We can unpack the rest of our stuff tomorrow." Ichigo replied, adjusting so Mina was in his left arm, and he picked up his fork._

" _Or the next day." Orihime said, making them both laugh. As they started to eat, Orihime let her eyes go down to Bingo, then to Mina and Ichigo. It's nice to be home._

* * *

 **Two Weeks Later, December 7th**

"This has been the busiest last two weeks of my life." Ichigo said, turning down another street.

Turning the radio down, Orihime leaned her head back on the head rest. "Yeah between training and assignments, it's been almost non-stop for us. After being gone on assignment for the last four days, I am ready to go see Mina and Bingo."

"It was nice to get away on an assignment together for once though." Ichigo replied, as they pulled into the driveway at his dad's house and got out of the car.

Orihime sighed as they walked up to the front door. "I feel like we've missed so many milestones for Mina though."

"I don't think we actually missed that much," Ichigo said, walking inside the house with Orihime to an empty living room. "Hey!"

No one answered Ichigo, except for the sound of rushed paws hitting the ground. Bingo took the corner of the kitchen and bolted over to them across the living room.

"Bingo!" Orihime happily exclaimed as she knelt down to give him some love. "We missed you so much!"

Isshin came from upstairs, and had Mina in his arms. "Oh hey you two. I was just cleaning up Mina after feeding her some chicken and rice puree. It's not as appealing when it's in the form of baby food though."

Both Orihime and Ichigo laughed, as Ichigo reached over to accept Mina from his dad. "So, she's moving past only eating mushed fruits and vegetables."

"Yes, that's great baby girl," Orihime said, as she stood up from petting Bingo. "Apparently all we need to do is bring her over here, and she'll try all sorts of new foods."

"Well, Karin did help me a lot. She can be pretty persuasive." Isshin admitted, smirking at that.

"That's only because she was apparently born to be good with kids," Ichigo said, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't think anyone in our family expected that."

Orihime shook her head but smiled. "Speaking of Karin and Yuzu, how are they doing?"

"I would say they are doing okay, but then again, they don't usually tell me stuff," Isshin replied, chuckling with the others. "Would you two like to stay for lunch?"

"Sure-" Ichigo broke off at Orihime's look and sighed. "But then we have to go home, and finish decorating the house for Christmas."

" _Start_ decorating for Christmas." Orihime corrected, as she adjusted Mina a little her arms.

Isshin motioned to the decorations around them. "Do you like what Karin and Yuzu did with the place? I didn't know we owned this many decorations."

Ichigo chuckled. "This is what mine and Orihime's house is going to look like after today."

"You're not wrong," Orihime said, making the guys laugh. Along with Mina who giggled and smiled. "Oh you think that's funny baby girl?"

Ichigo smiled as Orihime had walked with his dad and Mina to the kitchen, and he reached back down to give Bingo some attention. "It's good to be back."

 **An hour and a half later**

"Let's go Bingo." Orihime encouraged the golden retriever puppy to go up the basement stairs, and the entered the house. The sound of the garage door closing was heard, before Ichigo joined them with Mina. She walked over to the back door and let Bingo out so he can run around after having been in the car with them for the past thirty minutes coming back from Isshin's.

"Okay looks like all the decorations we bought are right we left them before we left on our assignment," Ichigo said, eyeing the several bags full of decorations on the table. "That looks like a lot more than what was here before we left."

Orihime laughed, as she reached over for Mina. "We can get in our most comfortable clothes, start a fire in the fireplace, and make some hot chocolate."

"Now we're talking." Ichigo said, sharing a smile with Orihime.

Twenty minutes later, they had changed and Ichigo was stoking the fire in the fireplace, and it was finally starting to really get going. Over in the kitchen, Orihime was pouring hot chocolate in their mugs. "Okay, the hot chocolate is done, but I think we need to let it cool down."

"You don't need to tell me twice," Ichigo smirked. "I still think I'm missing a few taste buds after having almost burned them off the other day."

Moving over to the table, Orihime started to pull some decorations out of the bag, and take the tags off. Bingo circling her feet made her stop. "Bingo."

"Hey boy!" Ichigo called over, squeaking one of Bingo's favorite toys to get him to come over.

After Bingo was distracted, Orihime focused back on the decorations. "I'm so excited for these new decorations. It's our first decorations for our new home."

"It's kind of wild thinking about how this will be our first Christmas in our own house. I've never had a Christmas away from my dad's house before."

Noticing a slight frown on Ichigo's face, Orihime offered him a smile. "Well, we will probably still spend plenty of time over at your dad's house."

Picking up some of the decorations, Ichigo sighed. "You're right… It's going to probably take us like three hours to decorate everything. At least we already bought a tree. We are probably going to leave these decorations up until New Years though, because that way it'll feel like we aren't having to take them down two weeks after putting them up."

"I am not complaining about that… Bingo get up on the couch. Come on boy," Orihime said, patting the couch to get him to jump up and sit on the couch to stay out of the way. However, he just barked and jumped up to where only his front two paws were on the couch, and he tried to play with her hand. Her eyes went to Mina who was sleeping, however, she seemed not phased by his barking. "At least she has gotten used to his barking… Or at least sometimes she is used to it."

Ichigo shrugged. "That or the training we've been doing with Bingo is finally paying off."

Orihime's eyes went back to their golden retriever puppy who was halfway under the coffee table, and was chewing on one of the empty ornaments. She reached over and pulled it away from him, and eyed the teeth marks and dog slobber all over it. "I think we still have some work to do in that department."

Ichigo and Orihime both laughed, as Ichigo stood up. "I'm going to start with the garland on the top of the cabinets in the kitchen."

"Oh, get that one that already has the string of lights intertwined in it," Orihime said, pointing over to the box on the bar counter. "It'll be easier to put up, then doing the garland and lights separately."

"Don't you want to use that kind on the railing of the stairs though?"

"No. If we decide to add lights to the ones we put on the stairs, we can just add it in. It's easier to do."

"Okay, sounds good." Ichigo said, grabbing a chair from the kitchen table and bringing it over to where the cabinets started, before grabbing a box of garland.

Orihime opened a box from Amazon, and smiled as she pulled out three white stockings. "Ichigo, look our stockings."

Glancing over from where he was now standing on the kitchen chair, Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "How much were those?"

"Not important," Orihime replied, smiling at where their names were stitched on each one in gold. "I'm going to start with decorating the fireplace, after I find the tree skirt."

"Good luck with that," Ichigo said, smirking at the sight of Orihime looking at the bags with all the decorations. "Be careful around the fire."

"I'll try my best." Orihime replied, laughing along with Ichigo, as she started going through the bags. After finding the tree skirt, she moved over to the living room to put it under the tree. Her eyes glanced over to fire, then to where Bingo was laying next to Mina's rocker sleeper. _This is so nice. I love the feeling of the holidays._

 **A few days later, the 13th**

Ichigo finished cutting up celery and the carrots. "My dad's going to be here a little late. Hana's not getting off work until six."

"Alright," Orihime said, opening the lid of the crockpot for Ichigo to put the chopped vegetables in. "Well, we probably won't eat until six fifteen or six thirty."

"It's still a bit weird..." Ichigo trailed off, after finishing up putting the vegetables in the crockpot.

Orihime raised an eyebrow. "Why? When we had dinner with Hana a few nights ago, I thought we all had a nice time."

"I don't know," Ichigo shrugged. "I haven't really ever seen my dad date anyone before. I'm sure he has before, but he's never introduced us to anyone until now… It's not that big of a deal. It's been a long time since my mom died, and my dad deserves to be happy."

"He does deserve that," Orihime said, smiling as she put the lid back on the crock pot, and changed the setting to hot. "Hana is a really nice woman, and it seems like she makes your dad very happy."

Ichigo went to pick Mina up out of her high chair. "How much time do we have?"

"A couple hours, I think." Orihime said, after she put the casserole in the oven that would accompany the roast in the crockpot.

"That gives us enough time to sit around and do nothing, before rushing around twenty minutes before everyone gets here." Ichigo motioned over to the couch.

Taking the oven mitts off, Orihime smiled. "That sounds great to me."

 **A couple hours later**

"So how was the dinner with Isshin's girlfriend?" Mai asked, as she, Rin and Orihime were in the kitchen chatting as the food was finishing up.

"It went really well actually," Orihime said, checking on the roast in the crockpot again. "You will love her."

"What's she like?" Rin asked from where she was holding Mina.

"She works as a pediatric surgeon at the hospital," Orihime replied, leaning back against the counter, as she hummed. "She's traveled a lot apparently, and she has a cat."

"Does she have kids?" Mai asked.

"No, apparently she was never able to have kids… But she seems content with her job and her cat, and I think that's amazing."

Rin laughed a little. "I'd be happy to drop Raya off for her to babysit if she would like. She's being a handful lately."

Raya's voice was heard from the back porch from where she was playing with Bingo. They could barely see Ichigo, Kei, and Hikari out on the back porch as well. Hikari was kneeing down, and saying something to Emi, who had been stopped briefly from running around after Raya and Bingo.

"Mai is always a handful, so I second that." Mai added, laughing with the others.

"Ichigo seemed to handle meeting Han well," Orihime continued back to their conversation. "He thinks it is still a bit strange, but she is so nice. It is hard to find any reason not to look her."

The timer on the stove went off, and Mai hummed. "Dinner smells so good."

Taking the lid of the crockpot, Orihime checked the roast. "Ichigo and I thought it'd be nice for this cold day."

The back door opened and the guys came in, along with the kids and Bingo. Rin right away, reached a hand down to Raya's head. "Your little nose is red."

"I'm fine momma!" Raya exclaimed, before she started running after Bingo around the kitchen and through the dining room.

Rin had to hold back saying anything, and released a very long sigh.

Kei just smirked as he patted her shoulder. "Just take those deep breaths."

Emi had gone straight to Mai, and had opened her arms to get her mom to take her jacket off.

Kei caught Raya as she had ran back around, and started unzipping her jacket. "Maybe you should go sit by the fire for a couple minutes anyways. Bingo has toys in the living room, and you two can play there. But be careful around the fire."

"Okay." Raya said, walking over to the living room after Kei helped her take her jacket off. Emi following behind her. Both girls got distracted by Finding Nemo on the TV.

Rin took another deep breath after a moment. "She's in a stage where she doesn't want to listen to anything I tell her, but she'll listen to Kei."

Kei grinned at that. "That's not driving you crazy _at all_ is it?"

The others laughed at that, and Mai shrugged. "It's just a stage. Emi went through it at two, and I'm sure she'll go through it again like Raya is."

"Oh great, we get to go through that again?" Hikari asked, making the others laugh.

"Hey," Ichigo said, getting Orihime's attention. "I made sure all the lights outside were plugged in right, and we can turn them on after dinner. The sun should probably be down by then."

"Sounds good to me-"

"I'm so excited to see your lights!" Raya exclaimed from the living room, interrupting Orihime. But appeared to have gone back to focusing on Finding Nemo with Emi.

Rin smiled, as she focused back on Mina who was cooing at her. "Raya really enjoyed setting up the Christmas lights at our house. She and Kei spent a few hours outside doing it. I could only make it an hour before the cold got to me."

Kei grinned again. "You missed out on all the fun."

"Yeah, since we finally live in a house, we got to decorate more outside too," Hikari said, offering a smile Mai's way. "However Mai orchestrated a lot of it."

"I love decorating okay." Mai said, from where she was also distracted by Mina's coos.

A knock on the door was heard, and Bingo started barking as he ran over to it. Ichigo followed the dog over, and opened it after getting a hold of Bingo's collar so he wouldn't run outside. "Hey guys."

"Hello Bingo." Karin said, as she walked past Ichigo to greet the golden retriever.

"Rude." Ichigo said at his sister ignoring him.

"Hey son." Isshin said, smirking at the glares Ichigo and Karin had sent each other.

After his family and Hana came in, Ichigo closed the front door and they walked over to the others. Everyone this is Hana, my dad's girlfriend."

"It's nice to meet you all." Hana said, offering a smile.

Before anything else could be said, Raya and Emi came running around the couch from the living room, through the kitchen and into the dining room again, as Bingo was running after them.

"Raya, slow down!" Rin called over, as Mai called out Emi's name.

However, when Karin stepped into the dining room, it stopped both kids and golden retriever in their tracks. "What's going on in here?"

"Karin!" Raya exclaimed, as she hugged her. "We're going to watch another movie after dinner, and we have to pick one out."

"Well, you're in luck," Karin said, as she scooped up Emi to give her a hug before setting her back down. "I am an expert in all things Disney."

"Oh, but we have to go see all the lights first." Raya said.

"Go outside." Emi added, as she pointed to the door.

"Let's wait until after dinner," Karin replied, taking off her shoes and jacket. "Let's go see if we can pick out a movie to watch after dinner."

"Okay," Raya started, as Karin took her and Emi's hands. "Finding Nemo is on right now."

"So maybe Finding Dory?" Karin suggested, as they walked over to the living room.

Orihime laughed from where she was in the kitchen. "That's all it took for them to calm down. Karin walking through the door."

"Bless her though, am I right Mai?" Rin asked, and she and Mai laughed.

Yuzu plopped down on the couch, and pulled out her phone. Isshin noticed this and raised an eyebrow. "How about you stay off your phone and socialize?"

"I am socializing," Yuzu replied, not looking away from her phone. "With Hinata."

Isshin sighed and shook his head, but didn't pursue it.

Hana smiled, resting her hand on his arm. "It's alright Isshin, she's fifteen. It's normal," she looked to the others. "Is there anything I can help with?"

"That's okay," Orihime said, as she turned the crockpot to warm. "The roast just finished up, and I think we're ready to eat."

At Mina getting a little fussy, Isshin reached over and grabbed her from Rin, and he looked to Orihime. "Has she had her dinner yet?"

"No, she might be wanting some." Orihime replied, as she took some plates down from the cabinets.

"I'll go grab her something from the pantry." Isshin said, going into the pantry.'

Ichigo moved over to Orihime and grabbed the plates. "I'll set these out if you want to grab the silverware."

Orihime smiled. "Sounds good to me. I'm ready to eat."

 **After dinner**

"Oh my gosh!" Raya exclaimed as she skipped around the front yard. "All these Christmas lights are so pretty."

"Well, we went a little overboard on the lights." Ichigo said, although he was smiling at how happy Raya was.

Orihime, also smiling at Raya, glanced to the others. "It's worth it though."

Raya stopped to look at the others, as she motioned farther down the long driveway. "We have to get farther away to look at it all."

"Hey Raya!" Karin called, as she held her hand for the little girl. "I'll go with you."

"Oh Emi is so adorable," Orihime said, as their attention went back to the toddler who was standing next to one of the light up reindeer they had. "She is so tiny compared to it."

"I know." Mai agreed from where she was snapping a few photos.

"I love your house," Hana complemented, as she was eyeing the whole thing next to Isshin. "It's so beautifully decorated."

"Thank you," Orihime said, offering a smile at Hana. "Ichigo actually bought it before I could see it, but I love it too."

Ichigo shook his head. "She acts like I didn't spend almost a month with our best friend coming up with a detailed list of what Orihime would like in a house, and I based it off that when looking for a house. It's all her ideas, I just did the work to find it."

Orihime smiled, and moved up on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. "I appreciate how much effort you put into it," she said, as she looked down at Bingo who was pulling on his leash. "I'm sorry Bingo. I know you want to go play with Raya and Karin, but you are not yet trusted off your leash in the front yard."

Bingo barked at that.

"We talked about this Bingo," Orihime whispered to him, but the others heard and laughed. She smiled at the others. "We're working with him, but he still tends to wander off sometimes if we don't have his leash on him. He will get there though."

"You know, the temperature is supposed to drop a lot tonight," Hikari said, as a gust of wind went by them. "If it rains like they thought it would, it might actually snow a little."

Mai shook her head. "I hope not. I have to drive a lot tomorrow.."

Emi had come back over, and took Yuzu's hand and pulled a little as she pointed in Raya and Karin's direction. "Let's go."

"Alright Emi," Yuzu said, keeping a hold of Emi's hand, she grabbed Bingo's leash with the other hand. "Let's go with Bingo to see what Karin and Raya are doing."

It was quiet for a moment as the adults watched in the direction where Raya was running around, and jumping as Emi joined her. Kei chuckled. "With how much Raya is running around, there won't be any trouble getting her to sleep tonight."

"That already sounds so nice." Rin said, smiling in the kids direction.

"We should go inside and enjoy some of that apple pie that Hana brought." Isshin suggested, smiling at his girlfriend.

Hana motioned to Yuzu. "I had Yuzu's help."

"Let's go do that, because it's freezing," Ichigo said, as he held up the baby monitor. "Mina had the right idea of falling asleep after dinner, and getting to stay inside."

Orihime laughed, as she pointed to where Raya and Emi were running around and Bingo was barking. "Good luck getting the kiddos inside."

"Oh, I've got that." Rin said, as she grabbed her phone to send out a text.

There was a moment of silence, before they could see Karin getting her phone out in the distance. Then she held up a thumbs up in their direction.

"I asked if they'd stay out with the girls for a few more minutes before bringing them inside," Rin said, as she put her phone back in her pocket. "We can go ahead and go inside."

Mai laughed, as they started up the walkway. "The power of technology."

 **Later that night**

Ichigo put the last of the mugs and dessert plates into the dishwasher, then turned it on. His eyes moved over to Orihime, who came in from the back porch with Bingo. "I managed to fit all the dishes in the dishwasher."

"Yes, that means we don't have to do another load tonight," Orihime said, as she took off Bingo's collar, and turned the lights off on it. "I'm glad you thought of getting this light up collar for when he goes out at night."

"Well even with our light on the porch and the one on the side of the house by the garage, it's still pretty dark in some of the areas in the fenced in yard. I thought it'd be nice to at least know where he is when he's out there." Ichigo replied, watching Orihime hang up Bingo's collar on the hook in the laundry room.

"I'm happy our family could come over," Orihime said, walking out of the laundry room. "And our friends."

"Honestly, at this point, if kind of feels like our friends are becoming family."

"I know. Even though Mai, Hikari, and Emi don't have any blood relation to us, they feel like family."

"We've certainly gotten closer to them this past year, especially after we graduated-" Ichigo stopped and laughed. "Which feels like forever ago, but it was only seven-ish months ago."

Orihime's eyes moved over to Mina in her rocker sleeper in the living room. "I think it helped us to bond with them because they also have a baby- or I guess Emi's really a toddler. You know what I mean."

"I feel the same way towards Rin, Kei, and Raya. While you at least have blood relation, it still feels like they are all part of the family," Ichigo said, his eyes going down to his phone to see the time. "Not to change the subject, but it's getting late. Someone still hasn't had their bath-"

Mina's crying interrupted Ichigo, and Orihime smiled as she went to pick her up. Bingo coming over as well, his tail wagging as he looked at Mina. "I guess she's ready for that bath."

Ichigo moved towards the front door. "I need to go turn the lights off outside. We need to get one of those timers, and that way they'll just turn on and off by themselves."

"We'll put it on the list," Orihime said, going out on the front porch after Ichigo. Stopping Bingo from going outside, as he didn't have his collar or leash on. She cradled Mina a little closer to her chest. "At least the Christmas lights were a success. I think the ones on the back porch were a nice touch too. Maybe we can get more to put along the fence line, and maybe it'll make it easier to see Bingo as well."

"We can look into it, or at least add it in next year," Ichigo's voice was heard, the lights were turned off, and he appeared walking back up the walkway to the front porch. "I know I complained that it was a lot of decorations, but it's perfect for our first Christmas together."

"I think so too." Orihime agreed, kissing Ichigo after he came back up on the porch.

After their kiss broke, Ichigo's hand went to rest on Mina's back. "Let's get this baby girl in a bath and to bed, then we can watch a movie or something."

"I like that idea..." Orihime trailed off as they smiled, and went back inside. Bingo's tail was wagging rapidly, as they came in.

"Come on Bingo," Ichigo said, as he started to the stairs. "I'll race you up there."

Orihime smiled as both Ichigo and Bingo ran upstairs. Bingo barking all the way. Turning back to the front door, she made sure it was locked, as well as going to the basement and backdoor to make sure both were locked as well. Looking down at Mina as she went to the stairs. "Let's go get you ready for your bath, baby girl."

* * *

 **A/N: I was glad we can introduce Isshin's girlfriend in this chapter. If you want to learn more about her, Secrets & Dreams chapter 14 also introduces Hana in more depth.**

 **Don't forget to review, favorite, and share this story with others. Also be sure to check out my other stories.**

 **Be sure to like my page (Ruby1235 Fanfiction) on Facebook and follow me on twitter ( Ruby1235Fanfic) for updates, sneak peeks, and hints for current and new stories :)**


	17. It's Christmas Time

_Review:_

" _I like that idea..." Orihime trailed off as they smiled, and went back inside. Bingo's tail was wagging rapidly, as they came in._

" _Come on Bingo," Ichigo said, as he started to the stairs. "I'll race you up there."_

 _Orihime smiled as both Ichigo and Bingo ran upstairs. Bingo barking all the way. Turning back to the front door, she made sure it was locked, as well as going to the basement and backdoor to make sure both were locked as well. Looking down at Mina as she went to the stairs. "Let's go get you ready for your bath, baby girl."_

* * *

 **A couple weeks later, 21st of December**

Orihime sighed heavily as they turned down another aisle. "We've got plenty of things for Mina, but I've seemed to have slacked off on my shopping for Ichigo."

"Well, not to make you feel bad, but I've already got my presents for Karin." Toshiro replied, smirking at Orihime.

"Oh look at you all prepared and organized," Orihime said, shaking her head at his smirk. "Good for you for not waiting until last minute like me."

Toshiro shrugged. "To be fair, you have a much busier life than I do. Yes, I have to manage the 10th division and all, but I mean you have a kid."

Orihime followed where Toshiro was motioning to Mina who was sucking on her pacifier in the cart. Her eyes moved back to Toshiro. "How's your relationship going with Karin? I heard you and Karin say you loved each other the other day, and that was cute."

"Orihime." Toshiro mumbled as he felt his cheeks growing slightly warm.

Laughing at Toshiro's embarrassment, Orihime waved it off. "No need to get so worked up Toshiro. I just thought it was sweet. I am happy things are working out for you two."

"So what are you getting for Ichigo?" Toshiro countered with a change of subject.

"Okay, I can take the hint. I've got a few things on my list to get him," Orihime said, pausing as she had to try and settle Mina who was getting fussy. She looked up and raised an eyebrow. "Sometimes when we walk under those mirrored signs, I think the light bouncing off of it scares her."

Toshiro nodded and looked up as well. "We should just take them down."

"That would definitely get us kicked out of the store."

"We can open our own store then."

Orihime laughed at Toshiro keeping a straight face as he said that. "I'm not going to comment on that. Come on, let's go. I'm excited that it's finally Christmas time, and I might just buy everything in the store."

 **At Orihime and Ichigo's house**

"Bingo, get off." Ichigo laughed, trying to keep Bingo off the wrapping paper as he was trying to wrap up Orihime's presents. Finally, when he finished the roll of wrapping paper, he gave Bingo the cardboard center to distract him, and he finished up taping the present he was working on. A knock on the door was heard, and the doorbell proceeded to be rung several times. "I'm coming!"

Ichigo got up and walked to the front door, opening it to find Tatsuki on the other side. "Finally Ichigo, it took you long enough."

"What's all this?" Ichigo asked, at the several presents Tatsuki was holding.

"It's my share of Mina's Christmas presents." Tatsuki replied, as she walked in the house past Ichigo. Stopping to kick off her shoes by the door.

"You really didn't have to do that-"

"Of course I had to. It's my obligation as her godmother."

"It's not… But okay." Ichigo said, as he found himself being handed several of the presents in Tatsuki's arms, as she grabbed a few more that she had set down on the porch.

"The ones in the bags are for you, Orihime, and a tiny one for Bingo. So don't look." Tatsuki told him, as she walked further into the house.

"I won't," Ichigo replied, kicking the front door shut, then he moved to the living room to set the presents down by the tree. Grabbing a present that was already under there, he held it out to Tatsuki. "Don't open it until Christmas, or Orihime's probably never going to talk to you again."

"Right," Tatsuki said, as she set the bag on the coffee table before going to focus on Bingo. "I'm sorry I won't be able to see you guys around Christmas this year. My parents and I are going to go skiing this year, and spend Christmas up in the mountains. We'll be leaving Christmas eve morning and won't be back for a few days."

"It'll be okay. We will see each other for the New Years festival, so that's something." Ichigo replied, going back over to where he had been wrapping presents before.

Tatsuki eyed the wrapping paper and one halfway wrapped present. "Were you wrapping presents?"

"What gave it away? The cardboard pieces everywhere from the wrapping paper roll that Bingo tore up." Ichigo countered, having been picking up the tiny pieces that were all around the living room.

"Bingo wouldn't have done that," Tatsuki said, as she was petting the golden retriever. "So what did you get Orihime?"

Returning from having thrown those cardboard pieces away, Ichigo smirked. "I don't know if I should tell you."

"Um, why not?" Tatsuki countered, an eyebrow raised. "I would tell you if I had a significant other that I actually cared enough about to get a present for."

Ichigo laughed. "Well, you are also Orihime's best friend, and I don't think I trust you not to tell her."

Tatsuki scoffed and crossed her arms. "I knew you were going to propose to Orihime three whole days before you actually proposed to her. I didn't say anything to her then."

"How?" Ichigo asked, a look of confusion on his face. "I didn't tell anyone except for my dad-"

"I have my ways." Tatsuki interrupted, as she picked up one of the wrapped presents and shook it.

Grabbing the present from Tatsuki, Ichigo smirked. "You probably went through my stuff and found the ring."

"That's not really the point," Tatsuki shot back, then she motioned down at the presents. "Now what did you get her?"

 **A couple of days later**

"Cheers!" Ichigo said, as he and their friends clinked their glasses together and chorused cheers before taking a drink. They were in a local bar in Karakura Town called The Falcons Pub, and were celebrating with their non-shinigami friends before everyone went their separate ways for the holidays.

"Who wants another?" Orihime asked, as she stood up.

"Me," Tatsuki said, as Akira finished her drink and said, "Me too."

Raising an eyebrow in Orihime's direction, Ichigo smirked. "You just got that drink like two seconds ago."

"It was not two seconds," Orihime disagreed, but she laughed at his continued raised eyebrow. "What? Mina's at your dad's house with Karin, and we are getting a little bit of a break. I'm enjoying it."

Ichigo smiled and pulled her down a little so he could kiss her. "I'm happy you're enjoying yourself," he said, watching as Orihime went back to the bar, and Ichigo glanced over to Mai who was on her phone. "Checking on Emi."

"No actually," Mai said, as her eyes remained on her phone. "I completely trust your sister at this point to take care of my daughter."

"She's checking to see if her professor uploaded her final grade," Hikari said. "It's the last class she's waiting on, and her professor is taking her time in posting the grades."

"Ah."

Mai sighed finally, sat her phone down, and picked up her drink. "I appreciate the fact that Karin is babysitting for us all day today. We have some last minute Christmas shopping to do later."

"I'm sure we'll be doing some last minute shopping tomorrow morning, so at least you two are trying to get it all done today." Ichigo said, grinning as Orihime walked back over.

"What are we talking about?" Orihime asked, noticing Ichigo's grin.

"Christmas shopping."

"Oh yeah," Orihime said, after Ichigo stopped talking. "I'm pretty sure we left off so many things on our list, and we need to go shopping at some point."

The others started laughing, and Orihime's expression clearly showed she was confused. Ichigo patted her hand. "Don't worry about it… So Mai and Hikari, we're happy that you're coming over for Christmas Eve dinner tomorrow night at my dad's."

"Thank you for inviting us." Mai replied, her eyes going back to her phone to check on her grades.

"We're going to drive to my parents house for dinner on Christmas day, and it'll be nice having a good dinner the night before to help us on the drive." Hikari added, smirking and shaking his head at the sight of Mai checking her grades again.

Their attention went back to the others, as Akira started talking. "Why did we bother decorating the apartment if neither of us are going to be there for Christmas?"

"To give us something to do when we were procrastinating studying for finals." Tatsuki replied, sipping her gin and tonic.

"Are you two enjoying sharing an apartment?" Chad asked.

"Hell yeah," Akira said, clinking glasses with Tatsuki. "If we didn't I probably would have gotten stuck with someone high-maintenance or something."

Orihime smiled at the looks on their faces. "It seems like you two had a lot of fun this semester."

Tatsuki reached over and patted Orihime's hand. "I know you feel left out, but don't worry we're only a thirty-minute drive away to the University for when you get sick of Ichigo."

"Thank you." Ichigo shot back sarcastically.

Orihime laughed. "I appreciate you choosing to go to Karakura University, because I don't think I could handle it if you were farther away."

Uryu turned to Chad. "How are you doing with your dad's construction company?"

"I'm enjoying it," Chad said, nodding slowly. "I'm going to get the opportunity to travel overseas to some of the other construction sites my dad will have starting up after December."

"What about you Uryu?" Mai asked.

Clearing his throat, Uryu pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose a little. "I'm actually planning on moving to an apartment on campus after December."

"You're moving closer to Windsworth," Hikari said, then his eyes moved to Mai. "We should have done that."

Mai deadpanned. "We did."

Hikari smirked. "A whole ten minutes closer. We're still in Karakura which can be up to an hour away or worse if traffic is really bad."

"So why did you decide to move now?" Orihime asked Uryu to get the focus back on him.

It was quiet for a long moment, then Uryu rubbed the glass in his hand. "There is this young woman who lives near campus..."

"Oh really?" Orihime asked, straightening up as she smiled. "Who is she? When did you meet her? What is she like-"

"Orihime." Ichigo interrupted as he chuckled.

Uryu raised a hand. "Let's not make too big of a deal about this. It's still pretty new… Besides commuting usually takes me an hour and a half on a good day, as I live on the east side of Karakura. I don't know how Hikari and Mai do it."

Mai grabbed her drink to take a sip. "Well, we do live on the West side of Karakura, and have pretty quick access to the freeway."

"We try to stick to only having our classes on two specific days, and the rest are online. That way it's not as often, and it allows us to not to have to put Emi in daycare too much during the week," Hikari added, his eyes on Mai. "Are you going put your phone down for more than five minutes babe?"

"Hikari- Oh my gosh!" Mai jumped up from the couch she was on. "My professor posted grades, and I passed the class."

"I knew you would." Hikari said, as he and Mai kissed.

Mai drank the rest in her glass and tossed her phone on the couch. "Okay now that I know I didn't fail the class, let's actually have fun now."

Tatsuki jumps up. "Shots?"

"Absolutely." Mai replied, as she and Tatsuki went to the bar. Orihime and Akira not far behind.

Hikari watched Mai walking to the bar, then focused back on the guys. "This is going to get interesting."

 **Later that evening**

"I think I'm still a little bit drunk." Mai said, as she turned her cart down the next aisle. Incorrectly judging the turn, she knocked the front of the cart into one of the displays.

"You can't even tell." Hikari said, picking up some of the things she knocked off, and put them back on the shelf. Sharing a smirk with Ichigo who just turned another cart onto the aisle.

"Same." Orihime said from where she was across the aisle, standing really close to the shelves, and staring at the marshmallows.

"Those aren't on our list." Ichigo said, however, he reached around her, and put some in the cart anyways.

As they continued down the aisle, Orihime and Mai walking side by side ahead of Ichigo and Hikari. Orihime sighing. "It's so nice to get some shopping done without Mina."

"Same." Mai agreed.

"I mean I love Mina obviously, but it usually takes us so much longer in the store when we have her with us." Orihime said.

"I know," Mai said, holding her phone up. "Emi's always trying to pull things off the shelves. Or she's throwing a fit because she's in the cart, and wants to be walking. Or it's the other way around. It's a whole thing."

"Mina just wants attention when we shop," Orihime said, and she smiled. "But I mean like it's okay because she's so cute and I could give her all my attention."

Mai nodded, and showed her phone to Orihime. "And Emi is so precious all the time."

Ichigo whistling got them to stop and look behind them. To find that Ichigo and Hikari had stopped a while ago, and they were about forty feet away now. "Hello, we're trying to finish up shopping here."

As Ichigo and Hikari got closer, Hikari grinned at the two women. "You two are saying how nice it is to shop without the kids, but you two aren't actually doing any shopping."

"We are too." Mai replied, crossing her arms over her chest.

Hikari motioned to the cart. "Putting three boxes of cookies that weren't on the list in the first place, is not really helping."

"Babe, I don't know what to tell you." Mai said, waving off his look.

While Hikari was chuckling, Ichigo looked to Orihime. "This is about as much shopping as we can do without the actual list with us."

Orihime smiled back at him. "I forgot to bring it."

"I know," Ichigo grinned back at her. "We'll go again tomorrow morning.

"Okay, let's go." Orihime said, turning around to walk with Mai.

Ichigo's grin softened to a smile, as he watched Orihime nearly knock over a display at the end of the aisle and straight up apologize to it. _That's the woman I'm going to marry. How did I get so lucky?_

 **The next evening, December 24th**

"Okay, let's do this quickly." Orihime said, holding up her phone to take as many photos as she could, along with Ichigo's cousin Kara, and Ichigo's aunt Dori. Ichigo's grandparents, Shou and Rena, were seated in front of the Christmas tree with their great-grandchildren, Mina and Sanu, who was Kara's son.

Noticing Mina was getting a little fussy, Kara handed her phone over to her husband. "Here take the pictures, Jiro."

"Okay." Jiro replied, and had to stand up from the couch.

Kara grabbed one of Mina's toys and managed to get her attention in order for her to look at the cameras long enough for some pictures.

"I think we got it," Orihime said, as they stopped with the pictures. Her eyes on Kara. "You look a little pale."

Sighing as she sat on one of the arms of the couches. "I'm still feeling a little nauseous. It has been a rough ten weeks."

"I definitely don't miss that," Orihime said, but she smiled. "Although it's exciting that you're pregnant. You've got a couple more weeks left of the first trimester, then hopefully you'll feel a little better soon."

"I hope so. At least this time I signed up for it," Kara said, smiling over at Sanu who was now back over on the play mat with Emi. "Sanu was a little bit of a surprise last year, but at least we planned for this baby."

Jiro handed Kara her phone back and sat back down on the couch. His hand lightly resting on Kara's lower back. "Yeah, it seemed like a good idea to do this again."

"Yeah, seemed like." Kara agreed, as they both laughed.

Orihime smiled, at Sanu who was running around the playmat with Emi. "Sanu seems like he's going to be giving you two a run for your money."

"Yeah, he's so mobile now," Kara said, watching her son run around as well. "He started his walking journey around ten months, and now at a year and four months he's basically ready to run laps around us."

"Unfortunately, that doesn't stop anytime soon," Mai added, chuckling at Emi who was running around as well. "Emi will be three in March, and I feel like I have been non-stop running after her all day."

"Well gee, I hope I can make it once we have our baby this Summer," Kara sighed heavily. "It'll be the middle to end of July, so I will at least have a little bit of time before it gets real crazy. But really though, who needs sleep anyways?"

That had the others laughing, and Isshin was the first to stop. "So Kara, how's medical school going?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Kara moved to where she could sit more comfortably on the couch next to Jiro. "It's been tough, but I'm making it. I fast-tracked a lot by graduating from college early, and doubling up on classes the past year and a half. But with this new baby, I'll probably have to take a lighter class load next semester or two."

"When will you be graduating?" Isshin asked.

"If all goes well, the year after this next one in the Spring. However, that's only if I take Summer classes, and double my class loads next Fall and Spring," Kara replied, as she motioned to her husband. "Jiro has been so great taking more time to spend with Sanu, as I have been so busy this semester."

"I guess it's nice that he owns his own business." Orihime said, winking in Kara's direction. Both Jiro and Kara had shinigami abilities, but Kara wanted to become a doctor instead of a shinigami full time. Jiro, on the other hand, takes on shinigami assignments for work. They just try not to talk about it much around some of the others as not everyone is aware of shinigami's existence.

"Kara!" Aunt Dori called over.

"Yes mom?"

"I can't find that cute little hat we got for Sanu to wear," Dori replied, as she had put Sanu down. "I wanted to get his picture in it."

"Excuse me," Orihime said to the others, as she got up. "It might still be in the car."

However, Jiro was up and putting his jacket it on before she could step over to the door. "I'll go look for it. It's cold outside, and I don't want you to go out there unless you have to."

Kara sighed. "It wouldn't take me that long-"

"I got it." Jiro interrupted, finishing with his jacket, and going out the door.

"Oh," Kara said, as she turned to Orihime and Mai. "Have I mentioned the over-protectiveness when I'm pregnant is a real _joy_ to go through again."

Mai and Orihime both laughed. As Mai and Kara started talking about something, Orihime's eyes swept the room around them. It was a pretty full house at this point. There was Ichigo's grandparents, Shou and Rena. Then Isshin's sibling Dori and her husband Yui, and their daughter Kara and her husband Jiro, and their son Sanu. Then Mai, Hikari, and Emi were here. Along with Rin, Kei, and Raya. Her eyes stopped on Raya where she was just coming in from the backyard with Karin and Toshiro, along with Bingo and Kara and Jiro's small little white Terrier, Snow. Yuzu was busy holding Mina, and texting Taro with her phone in her free hand. They were at a pretty full house. _I love this feeling. Being surrounded by family… I didn't have this growing up, and it's so nice having it now._

"Orihime!"

Raya's voice got Orihime's attention, and she looked down at her four-year-old niece. "What can I do for you Miss. Raya?"

"Want to color with me?"

"Yes of course I do. I have tons of pretty Christmas coloring books that I bought just for this-" Orihime stopped when Mina started to get a little fussy and watched Yuzu try to calm her down. "I think she's getting tired."

"I'll try to get her to sleep." Yuzu said, as she walked into the kitchen where there were fewer people.

Orihime smiled and went back to the spare bedroom she and Ichigo regularly slept in when they stayed over, and grabbed the coloring books from the bag. When she came back through the hall, she almost ran into Ichigo.

"We're probably going to go out and walk the neighborhood, and look at Christmas lights in a half hour or so."

"Okay," Orihime said, as she adjusted the coloring books in her arms so she wouldn't drop them. "Mina's probably going to need to stay here, as she's apparently falling asleep and it's also pretty cold out."

"My grandparents are planning on staying here with her and Sanu. So they'll be fine," Ichigo said, their eyes going down the hall to where Emi and Sanu were playing. "It also seems like Emi might be staying outside as well."

Orihime smiled. "She looks like she is about to fall asleep on her toys."

Mai laughed as she heard that. "It looks like you're right."

"Well, I guess Raya will be hanging out with all of us "big kids" then." Ichigo said, glancing over to the coffee table.

Shaking her head, Orihime tapped the coloring books in her arms. "Not until after we color for a little while though. This takes priority."

Ichigo smirked at the sight of the coloring books. "You just want to use all those coloring books you bought."

"Of course I want to," Orihime replied, smiling at Ichigo, before going to sit back down at the coffee table with Raya. "I've got tons of coloring books and crayons for us to use."

"Yay, I'm excited!" Raya exclaimed, as she took the crayons out of the box to start organizing them.

Now that Orihime was on the floor, Bingo ran up to her for attention, and his Christmas collar was jingling. Her eyes moved over to see Karin and Toshiro coming from the kitchen where Karin and Toshiro were coming over with some hot coffee and dessert. "Where is Zorro? I want to get a picture with Zorro and Bingo together with their cute collars."

"I think he's hiding under my bed upstairs actually," Karin replied, as they stopped by the coffee table. "He's not too happy with all the people in the house. However, Bingo is clearly happy."

Toshiro shrugged, his eyes going down to see Karin's cousin Kara's white terrier, Snow. "I think he's more excited about having another dog in the house."

"You're probably right about that. I've tried to get Ichigo to think about getting another pet-"

"No, absolutely not," Ichigo interrupted, as he returned from the hall. The others laughed, and he pointed to Bingo. "One is more than enough."

"Do you want to color with us?" Raya asked Karin and Toshiro who were sitting their coffee mugs down on the coffee table.

"Sure thing." Karin replied as she and Toshiro sat down on the other side of the coffee table.

Toshiro picked up the coloring books. "You went overboard on the coloring books."

"Well, you can never be too prepared." Orihime replied as she and Toshiro laughed.

Raya stood back up so she could just barely see over the couch, and her eyes met Kei's. "Do you and momma want to color with us too?"

"Sure," Kei said, as Rin said, "Give me one second, love."

Kei shook his head at where Rin was helping Sanu to go to sleep in her arms. He moved over to the living room, and met Orihime's eyes. "She has baby fever now."

Orihime laughed, and motioned to Raya. "I'm sure Raya would love to be a big sister."

"I would!" Raya exclaimed happily, making the others laugh.

Kei grabbed a coloring book, and nudged Raya's shoulder. "We'll see kiddo.

While that made Raya sigh dramatically, Orihime smiled at her. _She is so adorable, and reminds me_ _of my brother so much_ _sometimes_ _._

 **Later that night**

"Okay, I'm going to bed." Yuzu said, as she started to the stairs.

"Goodnight Yuzu," Orihime started, as she looked at her. "Your cooking was as amazing as ever."

"Thanks," Yuzu said, as she motioned to the others. "But I have to give Karin, dad, and Hana some credit, because they helped out a lot this year."

Karin over-dramatically gasped. "I'm shocked at the compliment."

"Ha ha." Yuzu said, shaking her head as she went upstairs.

Picking up Zorro from the floor, Karin looked to Toshiro. "I'm probably going to go to sleep as well."

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Toshiro said, as they both got up from the couch. The bells on Zorro's collar jingled, and he sighed. "You're going to need to take off that collar before we go to sleep though."

"I like it." Karin said, as they walked around the couch to go to the stairs.

"Well, I like to sleep and that's not going to happen if he's running around the room at three o'clock in the morning jingling." Toshiro replied, smirking at Karin's sigh.

"Fine." Karin agreed, as the others laughed.

After Karin and Toshiro went upstairs, Ichigo noticed Orihime was raising an eyebrow in his direction. "What?"

"I don't know… I guess I'm just waiting for you to comment on how Toshiro is spending the night, and how your surprised your dad would allow that." Orihime replied.

Ichigo shrugged. "It's really none of my business."

"Well, I'm surprised to hear that from you, son," Isshin said, then rested a hand over his heart. "You're growing up on me."

"Very funny." Ichigo said, as the others laughed.

Isshin wrapped his arm around Hana's shoulders, as his eyes remained on Orihime and Ichigo. "I'm glad you two decided to stay over tonight."

Orihime smiled as her eyes met Ichigo's. "It's nice to have another year staying over here for Christmas. Mina's still young, and we'll be starting Christmas mornings over at our own house next year probably."

"It's actually about time for us to try to go to bed. Mina's already asleep and if we go to sleep now, we might get a few hours in before she wakes us up in the middle of the night," Ichigo started, as he stood up. "I have to go grab the rest of the Christmas presents out of the car before we do though."

"Oh don't worry about that," Isshin said, waving it off. "I'll go do it for you."

"By the looks of Mina and Bingo, they are trying to tell you it's time for sleep." Hana added, as she motioned from Mina asleep in her rocker sleeper to Bingo who was asleep on his back halfway in Zorro's cat bed under the coffee table.

Orihime got up and picked up Mina without waking her up. "Okay, but make sure you don't look at the presents too closely. I'm pretty sure we have yours wrapped up all nice, but still! No peeking!"

"You got it." Isshin said, as they all laughed.

Ichigo nudged Bingo awake from under the coffee table. "Come on buddy, it's time for bed."

Bingo jumped up at the word "bed", and actually hit his head on the underside of the coffee table a little. Orihime just reached over to rub it. "Poor baby."

Ichigo was trying to control his laughing as he gave a wave to Isshin and Hana as they started to the hall with the guest bedrooms and study on it. "Goodnight."

Almost five minutes later, Ichigo was pulling their comforter and sheets back. Shaking his head as their golden retriever puppy flopped down where he was. "Bingo, this is not an invitation for you to sleep up by the pillows."

Orihime chuckled from where she had transferred Mina over to her crib without waking her up. Moving over to the window to look out, she smiled at the sight.

Noticing Orihime's smile, Ichigo walked over. "What?"

"Your dad and Hana," Orihime started as they could see where the older two adults were out by the cars laughing and joking around. "I'm glad he found someone."

"Me too. He seems happy, and Hana seems perfect for him," Ichigo agreed, then he smiled. "Our family seems to be growing everywhere we look."

"That's true…" Orihime trailed off and sighed. "It's nice though. I spent so much of my life with just Sora and me, then just me… It feels comforting to be in such a big family. That's another thing about Hana. She told us at that dinner when we first met that she didn't have any family, and I really felt for her on that… We always have room in our family. Plus it's Christmas time, and I always feel so happy around this time of year."

"Same here," Ichigo agreed, as they kissed then climbed into bed. Bingo settling by their feet, and they snuggled up together. "I love you, Orihime."

"I love you too." Orihime said, smiling as they kissed, then she closed her eyes. Willing sleep to find her.

* * *

 **A/N: I loved writing this Christmas chapter. I enjoyed going back and reading their first Christmas together last year, and then reading this year. So much has changed, and it seems their family just keeps growing. Chapter 19 of Secrets & Dreams (My spin-off from The Reason series that focuses on KarinXToshiro and YuzuXOC) also shares more of the Kurosaki Christmas, and you should all go check that out if you want to see more of their Christmas.**

 **Don't forget to review, favorite, and share this story with others. Also be sure to check out my other stories.**

 **Be sure to like my page (Ruby1235 Fanfiction) on Facebook and follow me on twitter ( Ruby1235Fanfic) for updates, sneak peeks, and hints for current and new stories :)**


	18. Deja Vu

_Review:_

" _That's true…" Orihime trailed off and sighed. "It's nice though. I spent so much of my life with just Sora and I, then just me… It feels comforting to be in such a big family. That's another thing about Hana. She told us at that dinner when we first met that she didn't have any family, and I really felt for her on that… We always have room in our family. Plus it's Christmas time, and I always feel so happy around this time of year."_

" _Same here," Ichigo agreed, as they kissed then climbed into bed. Bingo settling by their feet, and they snuggled up together. "I love you, Orihime."_

" _I love you too." Orihime said, smiling as they kissed, then she closed her eyes. Willing sleep to find her._

* * *

 **Almost two months later, February 20th**

Focusing in on Mina, Ichigo moved so he could sit next to her play mat. "Come on Mina, you can do it!"

Mina cooed and moved so she could crawl over to Ichigo.

"Good job baby girl," Ichigo said, as he moved to the other side of the play mat to get her to crawl to him again. "Come here."

Ichigo's words caused Bingo to jump off the couch, and run over to him. Resting his front paws on Ichigo's shoulder, Bingo licked Ichigo's face, as he wagged his tail.

"Bingo," Ichigo laughed, as he sat up. "I wasn't talking to you."

The basement door opened, and in walked Orihime. "Hey."

"Hey," Ichigo said, his eyes going back to Mina who had crawled back over to him. "Mina's crawling like a champ now."

"Yay, I guess we should start baby proofing more than we already have." Orihime replied, taking off her jacket and shoes, after setting her purse and phone on the table.

Ichigo motioned around the living room. "Already ahead of you on that one. "I started on all the wall sockets, and now we just need to try to baby proof the edges on things… How did training go?"

"Good, I've got a few new moves I'm trying out," Orihime said, rolling up one of her sleeves to show a new bruise on her arm. "I've also got a few new bruises from trying them out too, and I think I need to soak in a bath for a while."

"But that's how you know that you've worked hard."

"I guess you'd know that better than anyone."

Laughing at how that made Orihime smile, Ichigo reached over to pick Mina up and start her crawling back across the mat. "I don't know if you noticed, but an arrancar showed up today around the southern border of town. Renji went and took care of it."

Orihime sighed, as she knelt down to pet Bingo. "I did notice. There's been a lot more of them showing up lately… At least we haven't seen Aizen or the woman he's traveling with show up. I mean it'd be nice to know where they are and what they are planning, but at least we haven't seen them in person."

It was quiet for a moment, and Ichigo shrugged. "I guess… It'd be nice to see them in person if it would mean that we could get all this over with."

They fell into silence for another moment, and Orihime's phone buzzing got her attention. "It's our wedding planner. She should be coming by the house in an hour or so."

A smile returned to Ichigo's face at her bringing up wedding plans. "I can't believe we still have anything left to do at this point.'

"Apparently we haven't even scratched the surface," Orihime said, smiling as well. "We found our wedding planner last month, and I feel like she's already got everything planned for us to stay organized and prepared up until the actual date of our wedding."

"I know we planned on August 10th, but I feel like changing it to August 12th was a good call. It'll be on a Saturday now, and it'll be easier for our friends and family to come. It seems like our wedding will be here before we know it."

Nodding in agreement with Ichigo, Orihime's focus went to Mina, who had crawled over to her. "More importantly, Mina's first birthday will be here before we know it."

"I know. She just turned 9 months last week… Where did the time go?" Ichigo asked, smiling as Bingo had gone right over to where Min and Orihime were and nuzzled at Mina.

"Bigo." Mina said, giggling as she pet Bingo.

Orihime smiled encouragingly, as she also pet Bingo. "That's right Mina. This is our dog, Bingo."

"I know she's been starting to say things here and there," Ichigo said, as he looked at them with a frown on his face. "But if she learns Bingo's name, before ours, I am going to die, probably. Wow, I sound like Karin."

Orihime laughed, as she picked up Mina to kiss her cheek, then she set her back on her play mat. "Mina, it sounds like your daddy is a little jealous."

"Bigo." Mina said as Bingo had come over again.

"Of course." Ichigo mumbled as he brought a hand to his forehead.

Laughing at Ichigo's mumbling, Orihime moved back over to the counters and reached over to open a box of chocolate and grab one. "I love the fact that Bingo and Mina have seemed to have bonded, but I think he distracts her from crawling sometimes."

"I don't know, I feel like sometimes he encourages her if he's farther away, because she wants to get to him," Ichigo disagreed, noticing how Bingo had returned to Mina's side, and laid down next to her on her play mat. He focused back on Orihime, getting another chocolate out of the box. "I'm surprised you haven't eaten all those yet."

"I'm pacing myself," Orihime replied, her smile softened, as she looked at the vase full of roses that Ichigo had gotten her on Valentine's Day last week. "It looks like these flowers are on their last leg. They were pretty while they lasted though."

"I could always get you some more. I don't need a holiday to give me an excuse to buy you flowers."

That brought Orihime's smile back to her face. "I think after meeting with our wedding planner today, we are going to be all flowered out. We are supposed to narrow down choices for wedding flowers today, I think."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "Why are we doing that so early? The flowers we choose now, probably won't even be in season in August."

"Well, we will be looking at options that would be in season in August," Orihime replied, her eyes going back to her phone. "Okay, the wedding planner will be here in fifteen. I need to go shower."

"Do you need more chocolate?" Ichigo asked, grinning at her opening the box again.

"Stop." Orihime laughed, as she moved to the stairs.

Ichigo's focus went back to Mina, who had crawled over to him, but her focus went to Bingo.

"Bigo."

Ichigo sighed at Mina's word, but he smiled as he pet Bingo. "She only said your name first, because you're so cute."

Bingo barked, and laid down on Mina's level. His tail thumping against the ground happily.

 **The next day**

Sighing as they drove past the sign that said 'Welcome to Rosehaven', Orihime propped her head on her hand. "Coming here was a lot more fun when it was for the New Years Eve festival, and not for business."

"Well, New Years Eve is a pretty happy time of year." Ichigo said from the driver's seat.

"Ichigo." Was all Orihime replied with, not really appreciating the humor in his voice.

Rukia's laughter was heard from the backseat of the car. "Wow, Orihime way to be depressed."

"How am I supposed to be happy when we are searching for Aizen?" Orihime countered.

"Well," Toshiro said, on the other side of the back seat in the car. "Listening to better music might be a start."

Orihime smiled, but Ichigo scowled as he looked in the mirror to the back seat of the car. "My music is not that bad."

"You should consult with your sister on that." Toshiro replied with a smirk.

"If I did that, then she'd just delete all my music and replace it with her music."

"That's not necessarily a bad thing." Rukia said, after Ichigo stopped talking.

"Come on Rukia, my music isn't that bad-"

"But you're comparing it to Karin's."

"I'm not comparing it to Karin's," Ichigo replied, scowling as Rukia just laughed. "You all are comparing it to Karin's music."

Orihime finally broke her frown and laughed, as they pulled into the parking deck. "Okay, Ichigo."

Once parked, Toshiro was the first to circle back to why they were here in the first place. "Okay, so we know that Rosehaven seems to have some sort of significance to Aizen and the woman he seems to be traveling with, because everything seems to circle back here."

"I don't know," Ichigo said, his eyes glancing around the view of the town from the parking deck window. "I feel like we've been here so many times, and we never find anything."

"Maybe this will be the lucky time." Orihime replied, her tone non-enthusiastic, as she got out of the car."

"So, how's wedding planning?" Rukia asked to change the subject, as she and the others got out of the car as well.

A smile returned to Orihime's face. "It's going okay, after meeting with our wedding planner yesterday, it seems like there is a never ending list of things we still need to do."

They walked out of the parking deck, and started down the main street of Rosehaven. Ichigo glancing around them. "Okay, so we are going to collect the last round of security tapes. There are two streets with collectively 12 stores on them, and maybe those will show Aizen or the mystery woman."

"Are you sure we haven't got all the tapes already?" Rukia asked as they stopped at a crosswalk. "I feel like we've got them all."

"They are two streets up to the Northern part of town," Ichigo explained, as they crossed the crosswalk. "They are in the more run-down area of town, and I just don't think anyone's wanted to go there to collect the tapes yet."

They passed the coffee house that had become a regular place for them each time they have come here, and Orihime sighed as they went in to order some coffee. "I'm disappointed that this place was a bust. Because we know for a fact that she was in here, but nobody—except for Ichigo—knows what she looks like. She must have known there was a camera on her."

"Is there any point of us getting more security tapes then?" Rukia asked, as they grabbed their coffees and moved to sit down on couches farther away from the other people in the coffee house. "If Aizen and that woman knew to avoid cameras, then we probably won't see either of them."

"It's worth a shot. We can't find Aizen or this woman, and our best bet is to try to at least figure out what they were doing here," Toshiro said, sipping at his coffee, then he glanced around them. "This place is obviously important, because they appeared in this area several times over the time he was initially gone after that big fight we had."

Orihime leaned back on the chair she was sitting on, and let her eyes go up to the ceiling and she tried to drown out the others conversation. _I just want this to be over already. I can't stand living every day with fear in the back of my mind…_

 **An hour and a half later**

Ichigo opened the door for Orihime, and they walked out the front doors of the small clinic. It was branched off the main hospital, and was meant for the members in the Northern part of town who couldn't afford or make it to the bigger hospital in the central part of town. "That was way too easy to get in the security room."

"You were in shinigami form, Ichigo."

"Yeah, well they still have zero security still. No camera or anything in the hallway outside the room or in the actual room. I could have just walked right up and got the footage without having to change into shinigami form."

Orihime clipped the top back on the flash drive. "Either way, we got the footage, and that was the last on our list."

"Honestly, I don't know why we didn't start with this footage from the clinic," Ichigo said, then he chuckled. "Obviously no one wanted to come to the northern part of the town in the first place, but I mean it makes sense. The main hospital was a little too obvious, but a smaller clinic like this might be perfect opportunity to get Aizen and that woman on camera."

"It's a far stretch though," Orihime disagreed with a shrug. "It would be weird for them to go to a human hospital or clinic."

Ichigo chuckled. "Yeah, that's the only weird thing about all of this."

Orihime laughed, as they started down the sidewalk. They started walking past a blocked off street of old apartment complexes. Ichigo reached over for Orihime's hand to pull her closer, as they passed some sketchy looking people.

"I want to get as far away from here as possible. This place creeps me out."

"I feel you on that one," Orihime agreed with him, her eyes going to look down the street of the abandoned apartments, and there was one at the end of the street that caught her eye. She kept her eyes on it until they passed the street, and crossed the crosswalk. "We need to go meet up with Toshiro and Rukia."

"I'll send out a text, and see if they're ready." Ichigo replied, as he glanced down at his phone as they stopped at another crosswalk.

Orihime's explored the area around them. They were just about to leave the more run down part of town, and a big park caught her eye. Her focus went to the fountain in the center that no longer had water coming out of it, and she found herself hit with major deja vu. When she looked at the broken fountain, she found herself imagining it with running water, and the dead flowers around it grew to colorful living ones. Butterflies flying around it, and the sound of children's laughter hit her ears.

"Oh, there they are."

Ichigo's voice broke Orihime's focus, and she found herself looking back at the broken fountain, dead flowers, and no children around. She looked at Ichigo to tell him about it, but the crosswalk turned to allow them to cross. Orihime glanced back at the park again, as the walked across. _Why do I feel like I've been here before? I've never been to this part of Rosehaven…_

"So, we've gathered all the tapes from the first street. Only five out of the seven places on the street had security tapes." Toshiro said, as they finally met on the other side of the crosswalk.

Rukia opened her bag and pulled out a couple VHS tapes. "Yeah, and two of those places still use VHS tapes, so we're going to have to locate a VHS player."

"I think my dad has one," Ichigo said, motioning to Orihime's bag. "We ended up with a couple of those as well."

After putting the tapes back in her bag, Rukia hit the button for another crosswalk. "We should go get lunch before we go back to Karakura Town. I'm starving."

"That's a great idea. I'm starving." Ichigo agreed, as his and Orihime's phones both chimed.

Orihime pulled her phone out of her bag, and smiled as it was a picture of Mina and Bingo together. "Oh, it's from Karin. Apparently, they didn't have school today, and she's helping Isshin watch Mina. It appears that Mina and Bingo fell asleep next to each other."

Rukia had glanced over to Ichigo's phone where the same picture was showing. "Oh, they are both so cute."

"Speaking of Karin- yes, they are _so_ cute," Toshiro added the last part after Orihime looked at him. "I was going to ask her to go to dinner with me tonight." He had just pulled out his phone when he got a text message from Karin. "Or she could just text and ask me to dinner first."

"At least you two are on the same wavelength," Rukia said, as she sighed heavily. "Lately it seems like Renji and I are on two completely different planets lately. We are never available at the same time, and that sucks."

"I'm sure you two will work through the busy time." Orihime reassured as they walked to one of their favorite food places in town. A small Italian restaurant called 'The Glasshouse' on the Rose Hill main street.

Ichigo shrugged. "I don't really see a problem, because that usually means you are more available to spar with me."

"You mean kick your ass?" Rukia countered, making them all laugh.

Toshiro opened the door to The Glasshouse, and motioned for them to walk in. "Let's go inside before you two decide to start sparring in the middle of the street."

"I second that." Orihime agreed as they walked in. Her mind traveling as they were led to a booth by the hostess. _I can't get that park out of my head. I've never been there before… I don't think._

 **A couple hours later, Urahara's**

Stopping outside Urahara's, Rukia sighed heavily as she unbuckled her seat belt. "I might die after how much food I ate."

"You're just being over-dramatic because you lost our contest on who could eat the most breadsticks." Ichigo countered after he turned the car off.

"You only won, because you didn't eat as much for breakfast as I did." Rukia countered, a vein throbbing on her forehead.

"Please don't start this argument again." Toshiro said, as they all got out of the car.

Orihime nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you two don't make competition fun."

"That still goes to Ichigo and Karin," Toshiro pointed out, as he smirked. "Maybe Ichigo's the common factor."

"Hey!" Ichigo exclaimed as the others laughed at him.

The front door of Urahara's opened, and Renji walked out. Rukia smiled as he walked over to her. "Hey."

"Hey," Renji said, leaning his head down to kiss her. "Are you still busy?"

Sharing a look with the others, Rukia shook her head. "No, we're pretty much done for the day."

"Great, let's go do something. I'm finally off assignment, and have some free time."

"Sounds good to me. Bye guys." Rukia said to the others, before she and Renji walked to his car.

Toshiro walked to the back of the car, and grabbed the VHS tapes and flash drives out of the trunk of the car. "I'll go ahead and take these inside. I have to go in and talk to Urahara about somethings relating to my division."

"Okay, well we are going to go ahead and go," Orihime said, watching Ichigo close the trunk after Toshiro grabbed everything. "We'll see you over at Isshin's house in a little while then."

"Sounds good." Toshiro said, before turning to walk inside Urahara's.

Orihime and Ichigo got back in the car, and after Ichigo cranked the car up, he let his head rest back on the headrest. "It's been a long day, and it's only two in the afternoon."

"I know," Orihime agreed, copying Ichigo in resting her head on the headrest. "Maybe when we get to your dad's we can see if they would mind keeping an eye on Mina for a little while longer, and we can go take a nap in one of the guest rooms."

"I like that idea very much." Ichigo said, perking up a little, as he put the car in reverse to back out of the parking spot.

 **Later that night**

Snuggling Mina closer to her chest, Orihime leaned back against the bathroom countertop. "It was just so weird."

"I don't think we've been to that part of the town before," Ichigo said, leaning over the tub and collecting some of Mina's toys that were in there, as he set her baby bather in there. "Unless you've went on one of your secret trips."

"Ichigo."

"Right, we're not talking about that," Ichigo said, noting the irritated tone in Orihime's voice easily. "There could be so many reasons why you had deja vu passing that park. It may not even have anything to due with that park."

"It just felt like it did. It was so strange." Orihime replied, focusing down on Mina who was trying to reach down for the folded towel on the counter top.

"Maybe it was just from inhaling the hospital smell in that clinic," Ichigo said, turning on the water, and checking for it to be the right temperature. "According to you, that overly clean smell makes you want to die apparently."

"Well it does, and if anything the smell of the hospital is what really gives me deja vu," Orihime said, smiling down at Mina who had changed her focus on Bingo who was sniffing up at her feet. "It reminds me of being in labor and giving birth, and reminds me why we need to wait before we have more kids."

"Because that's the only reason," Ichigo joked, as he turned the water off. "Alright, the bath is ready for her."

"Hold on," Orihime said, as she took off Mina's onesie and diaper, then she brought her over to put her on her baby bather. "I think we may be almost ready to not need the bather anymore. She's getting bigger, and wanting to move around more during bath time. It might be easier to just let her be in the bath. Obviously, we'd keep the water level low, and be there the whole time. But, it might be more enjoyable for her…"

After Orihime trailed off, Ichigo glanced over and smirked at her. "Are you crying?"

"No, but I'm close though," Orihime said, sighing after a moment. "This must be what Rin was talking about."

"What?"

"She said that when your kid starts to grow up, you get reminded of how little they used to be, and it makes you want to have more," Orihime said, then she smirked at Ichigo's raised eyebrow. "Not right now obviously. Hospitals Ichigo. Remember the hospitals."

Ichigo chuckled. "I know. We might be ready in a few years though."

"In the meantime," Orihime started, as Bingo nosed his way in-between Orihime and Ichigo to look over the rim of the bathtub. "We could just get another dog."

Ichigo laughed shortly, and shook his head. "Oh no. This is going to be a long few years."

Mina's giggling got their attention, as she reached a hand over to Bingo's nose. "Bingo."

"Oh yay, she finally got the 'n' in there," Orihime said, as she reached over to pet Bingo's head. "Yes this is Bingo, Mina."

Ichigo sighed heavily, as he looked to the dog. "Yep this is our dog, who you've chosen to learn the name of first."

Laughing at Ichigo's words, Orihime focused on starting to put some soap on Mina. "Are you enjoying your bath baby girl?"

A smile returned to Ichigo's face at Mina's giggling, then he looked to Orihime. "Maybe once we get her bath done and put her to bed, you and I can enjoy a bath of our own. Maybe open a bottle of wine, and use up one of the candles you bought back on our trip to Wayhurst."

Orihime hummed happily, as she smiled at Ichigo. "Now that sounds like a perfect way to end our night."

* * *

 **A/N: What do you make of their trip to Rosehaven? Do you think these last few security tapes will help them, or be a waste of time?**

 **Don't forget to review, favorite, and share this story with others. Also be sure to check out my other stories.**

 **Be sure to like my page (Ruby1235 Fanfiction) on Facebook and follow me on twitter ( Ruby1235Fanfic) for updates, sneak peeks, and hints for current and new stories :)**


	19. The Mystery Woman

_Review:_

 _Laughing at Ichigo's words, Orihime focused on starting to put some soap on Mina. "Are you enjoying your bath baby girl?"_

 _A smile returned to Ichigo's face at Mina's giggling, then he looked to Orihime. "Maybe once we get her bath done and put her to bed, you and I can enjoy a bath of our own. Maybe open a bottle of wine, and use up one of the candles you bought back on our trip to Wayhurst."_

 _Orihime hummed happily, as she smiled at Ichigo. "Now that sounds like a perfect way to end our night."_

* * *

 **A week later, February 27th**

"Okay Mina and Bingo are doing okay," Orihime said, as she sat back down at their table at the Misty Bay restaurant. "I still have plenty of separation anxiety though."

"Same here," Ryuu agreed, his eyes going over to Kira, who also returned to their table. "Hiroko?"

"He's doing fine, but I think I might be driving my parents crazy by calling so many times." Kira replied, as she sighed and sat down.

Ichigo chuckled. "I'm sure my dad is feeling the same way."

"You guys know that this is a vacation right?" Michi asked, smirking at the two sets of parents at the table. "We're here to have fun, and not spend so much time on the phone."

"Yeah," Keitaro agreed, as he motioned around them. "We're in Silvermist again. This place is meant for fun."

Kimi nodded along with Keitaro. "Yeah, you all can obsessively continue to call your family members to check on your babies tomorrow."

"Yeah Ichigo," Keitaro started, motioning to him. "It's your birthday remember?"

Ichigo just picked up his beer and took a sip, and smirked back at the others. "I'm having a great birthday thank you very much. I'm feeling very nineteen."

"I'm also having a great 'Ichigo's birthday' by the way." Hayate added, laughing along with Ichigo as they clinked their beers together, before drinking.

Michi waved off Orihime and Kira's phones. "Let's just try to do no phones for the rest of the evening. Can you manage that?"

Kimi cleared her throat, and raised her hand. "I don't know if I can give up my phone actually."

Keitaro laughed, as he rested his hand on the back of his girlfriend's chair. "Yeah, it might be pretty dangerous to be around her without her phone."

The others laughed, and it finally came down to Michi staring the others down. "Well?"

"Okay, fine with me." Ichigo said, turning his phone off, and putting it in his pocket.

Orihime was quiet for a moment, then she set her phone down on the table. "Okay."

Ryuu and Kira both followed suit, and finally eyes went to Kimi who was the last to keep her phone in her hands. She sighed after a moment, and put her phone down. Fine."

"Finally yes, let's do this birthday party right," Hayate said, motioning for their waitress to come over. "Can we get eight shots of tequila over here?"

The waitress nodded and went to get that, and Orihime was more readily putting her phone away in her purse. "Alright, I think I can do this no phone thing after all."

"I know, tequila is a great distraction." Kira agreed.

Ichigo shook his head and smirked at them. "The last time we were all together, you and Orihime were drinking tequila practically straight out of the bottle until four in the morning, and you two didn't get out of bed for nearly fifteen hours afterward."

"Shout out!" Orihime exclaimed happily, as she and Kira high fived.

"That was the best time drinking," Kira said, then she waved her hand. "Not the hangover part, but you know."

Orihime nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that was probably my second worst hangover that I've ever had."

Michi raised an eyebrow. "Do we want to know what the first one is? Because I'm pretty sure we all thought you and Kira were going to die."

"Nope," Orihime shook her head, as she laughed. "You don't want to know."

"Tatsuki?" Ichigo asked.

"Yeah, she was drinking vodka and I was drinking tequila," Orihime said, shivering at the thought. "Uh, I still have nightmares about it sometimes."

"Okay then..." Ichigo trailed off, laughing as his eyes focused on the tequila shots the waitress set on their table. "Let's get this over with."

After everyone grabbed a shot, Ryuu raised his. "Here's to Ichigo's 19th birthday."

"Happy birthday Ichigo." The others chorused, then they took their shots.

 **The next morning**

"Now I don't think I've ever been this hungover in my entire life," Ichigo said, sand beneath his feet and the ocean just next to them. "However, I had a nice time."

"I did too. Even though I'm dying inside," Orihime said, holding Ichigo's hand with one hand, and the other pushed up her sunglasses on her face. "Tequila is my friend when I drink it, but it always stabs me in the back the next morning. Or really stabs me in the head."

Ichigo laughed at her rubbing her temple. "Tequila is usually not my top choice."

"You and Tatsuki have that in common," Orihime said, then she sighed heavily. "I miss Tatsuki."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "We saw her the day we left to come to the beach a few days ago."

"I know, but I feel like we never get to see her as much as we used to. She and Akira are always at college, Uryu moved to Windsworth, and Chad's always busy with his dad's construction company… Our friends are never around anymore."

Noticing Orihime's frown, Ichigo tried to offer her a smile. "That's just how life is Orihime. These few years when everyone's in college it's hard to adjust to because back in high school we were used to spending almost every day together. It's just not like that now."

"I know… I guess I just feel like we didn't really go anywhere, and all of our friends are going places."

"It won't be like that forever."

"I hope not."

"Why is this all of a sudden on your mind?"

"It's not really all of a sudden," Orihime replied, as they slowed to a stop, and she knelt down to pick up a few seashells. "Sometimes I find myself kind of jealous of our friends going out and making new lives for themselves. Don't get me wrong, I love Mina and Bingo, but I just feel like I miss out on a lot of what our friends are getting to experience."

Ichigo nodded slowly. "I get it. You got pregnant with Mina when we were seventeen, and had her when we were eighteen. If that didn't happen, we would be in very different place in our lives."

"Yeah, we'd probably be going to college or doing shinigami work more full time instead of just part-time," Orihime said, setting the shells back on the sand, before they started walking again. "But I wouldn't change our life. I love our daughter and our dog. I love our house. I love you."

A grin appeared on Ichigo's face, as they paused and kissed. "I love you too."

They continued on walking, and Orihime glanced up at the clear blue sky. "This vacation has been nice, but I'm ready to go back home and be with our baby."

"And Bingo," Ichigo added, as they shared a smile. "We're going back to that country club tonight to go on a yacht for dinner."

"I'm already so excited for all the shops. I got some really cute stuff there last year."

"I'm more excited for the food, but I mean everything on this island seems like it is ten times more fun."

They reached their stopping point to turn around at, but Orihime gave Ichigo's hand a squeeze to keep him from going. "Have you had a great birthday so far?"

"Yes, of course I have. This entire trip has been amazing," Ichigo said, smiling as he wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her. "I also love having got to spend it with you. I love you."

 **Later that evening**

Adjusting after Ichigo put his arm around her shoulders, Orihime sighed happily at the sun setting and the many boats that were docked. "I'm so worn out from shopping. I don't know how I'm going to make it through dinner without passing out."

"Same here," Kimi agreed, as she had her chin propped up on her hand. "It also doesn't help that I've been day drinking."

"Well, it's helped me, because I was entertained by you all day." Keitaro said, making the others laugh.

"I couldn't do it," Orihime said, as the thought of alcohol made her cringe. "I had way too much tequila last night, and if I had any more to drink today I would have probably died."

"Same." Kira agreed with a nod.

Ryuu laughed and smirked in Kira's direction. "Oh please. Don't pretend like you haven't been sneaking a sip from Kimi's flask here and there."

"Shhh." Was all Kira said in response, as the others laughed.

Michi and Hayate walked up then. "Hey."

"Sorry, we're late." Hayate added after Michi.

"No worries," Ichigo said, waving it off. "You just missed Orihime, Kira and Kimi shopping for hours, and us guys spent our time drinking beer and playing pool."

"Damn, I'm sorry I missed that." Hayate said, sharing a grin with Ichigo, as he and Michi sat down on another available bench.

Kimi was busy staring intently at Michi. "Why do you have that look on your face?"

Michi, staring back at Kimi, raised an eyebrow. "Are you drunk?"

Kimi held up her fingers to show a tiny space. "A little bit of a lot."

"Nice babe." Keitaro chuckled.

"And Kira is secretly drunk, but we're not talking about that." Ryuu added.

Michi whistled lowly as she and Hayate shared a smile. "Wow, we missed a lot."

This time the others noticed the look on their faces, and Orihime waved a hand to get their attention. "Um hello, mostly sober over here, and I agree with Kimi that there is a look on your face."

"What's up guys?" Ichigo asked, after neither Michi or Hayate said anything.

"Well, we have some news I guess." Hayate replied, his eyes meeting Michi's.

"You guess?" Michi asked, laughing as she finally looked to the others. "We're engaged."

"What?!" Kimi questioned, her voice loud enough to get the attention of many other people walking around the boating arena. She reached over, and grabbed Michi's hand and her eyes popped out of her head at the sparkling big ring on her finger. "Oh my god, this is so pretty."

"Did this just happen?" Keitaro asked.

Hayate shook his head. "No, it actually happened a couple days ago. We didn't want to spoil Ichigo's birthday, so we kept it to ourselves for the past couple days."

"It was really romantic," Michi said, letting Orihime and Kira see her ring as well. "We took the lift up to the top of one of the mountains, and he proposed to me in front of the big waterfall. There were some of the wild birds flying around, and it was so amazing."

The horn was heard from the yacht, signaling them all to start boarding. As they started walking, Kira was looking at the pictures on Hayate's phone of the engagement. "Well, we have even more reason to celebrate."

Once they were on board the yacht, they each grabbed a champagne flute, and moved up towards the front of the yacht. Ichigo turned to face the others. "I think we should have a toast not only for how for the second year in a row, we had an amazing trip to Silvermist, but also to Michi and Hayate's engagement. We are all so incredibly happy for you two. Cheers."

"Cheers!" The others chorused, clinking their glasses together, and happily drinking and cheering.

 **A few days later, March 3rd**

Getting Mina out of her car seat, Orihime propped her on her hip, as she grabbed her purse as well. Closing the car door, she met Ichigo up at the front of the car, and they entered Fair Garden, the same brunch spot where Raya had her 4th birthday.

After being taken to a table by the hostess, Ichigo set Mina's diaper bag down, and focused on Orihime who had just put Mina in a high chair. "This wedding is getting pretty expensive."

"It's not like we don't have the money, but it's just a little surprising at how much it's costing," Orihime agreed, after finally settling Mina with one of her toys. "I didn't have much money growing up, and it still kind of hurts to write all these checks that have more than two zeros at the end."

"I know..." Ichigo trailed off, his eyes going to Mina who was playing with her toy. "It's crazy seeing how big she's getting."

"She'll be ten months old in ten days. I feel like it was just yesterday that she was being bottle fed every few hours, and now she's able to sit with us at the table and somewhat eat by herself."

Ichigo laughed at Orihime's use of 'somewhat'. "It's great that she's starting to be able to do that, but I think most of the food ends up on the table or on her now."

Orihime grabbed Mina's juice cup out of the diaper bag, and gave it to her. "At least it's not in the form of spit up anymore."

"That's true."

"Hey, sorry I'm late." The sound of their wedding planner was heard after Ichigo stopped talking, and she joined them at the third chair at the table.

"Oh I think we're just a little early Nadia." Orihime replied, waving off the apology.

"Oh and we've got the cutest little guest with us today," Nadia said cheerfully paying Mina a little attention, before she grabbed her notebook out of her bag to set on the table. "This shouldn't take too long. We've just got a few things to go over."

The waitress came over to take their food orders, and after she left Orihime sighed, but she smiled. "Why do I have a feeling that these few things are going to be expensive?"

Nadia laughed and shook her head. "Fortunately what we will be going over today doesn't need any checks to be written out for it today."

"Perfect, that's what we like to hear." Ichigo said, as he and Orihime laughed.

Nadia opened her notebook to the calendar section. "Okay, so we're right on schedule with all of the plans so far. We reached a period where we can take a breath and relax. There are only a few things that we need to get done in March, and they are very minor."

"What's the projection looking like for everything we'll have to do before the wedding?" Orihime asked, reaching over to keep Mina's toy from falling off her high chair.

"We're right on track. Ideally, we want all the final decisions done by at least early to mid-July. That way the last part of the month and early August, you won't have anything to worry about," Nadia replied, as she had flipped a few months ahead to the last steps in the planning process. "The way I like to plan is to get the planning done as early as possible, and allow for a period of relaxation before the wedding. You don't want to be spending your time before the wedding running around and stressing out."

Ichigo nodded. "I like that idea- oh no, Mina."

Mina had spilled half her juice down the front of her shirt, and Orihime laughed as she got up to pick Mina up. "That cup is supposed to be spill proof Mina. How did you manage this?"

Mina just giggled at the attention she was receiving.

"I think she might need a change anyway," Orihime said, as she grabbed the diaper bag. "I'll be back."

After Orihime walked away, Ichigo focused back on Nadia. "So is there any news on our wedding bands."

"Those are being specially made in Silvermist, and the jeweler said that they should be done by the beginning of July at the latest-" Nadia broke off, as she got a phone call. "Excuse me, I have to take this."

"That's fine." Ichigo said, and once he was alone at the table, he looked down at his phone where there was a picture of himself, Orihime and Mina. _Each time we meet with our wedding planner it becomes more and more real that in just a matter of months, I'll be marrying the love of my life… That's an amazing feeling._

 **That afternoon at Urahara's**

As the security footage tape came to an end, there was a long moment of silence in the room. Renji the first to break the silence with a heavy sigh. "Well, that was another bust."

"Like the other twenty days worth of footage we've already watched today." Rukia added, propping her head up with her hand.

"It was actually almost thirty days worth of footage," Rangiku corrected, as she motioned to a few used flash drives on the table. "My team and I were looking through some before you all got here."

While everyone seemed to hold looks of either annoyance or disappointment, Urahara cleared his throat. "It looks like we're almost done with the last of the footage from Rosehaven."

"At this point, it might be safe to say that Rosehaven is a dead end," Toshiro added, a frown on his face. "It could have just been a coincidence that he appeared there so many times."

"I don't think so," Orihime immediately disagreed. "Why would he keep showing up there several times over that few months period? It doesn't make sense for him to do that if there wasn't a reason for it, because it's a human town. There has to be something special about it."

Isshin hummed lowly. "It's possible that the only reason he ended up in Rosehaven was because it was the first place he could get to after that fight."

Rin nodded in agreement with Isshin. "The location where all that fighting went down isn't that far away from Rosehaven. Maybe thirty minutes or so."

"I just don't believe it."

"Orihime's right," Akira agreed with her. "It would be a major coincidence if he just happened to go there for no reason, then all of a sudden start traveling around with some woman that we can't for the life of us identify."

"He could be back in Hueco Mundo again." Yoruichi suggested.

Toshiro nodded in agreement. "He could be rebuilding his army of arrancars."

"Maybe it's a good thing he's not going back to Rosehaven," Isshin offered, trying to find a bright side. "Rosehaven's pretty close to Karakura Town, and we don't really want to have Aizen having a base of operations under an hour away."

"I agree." Ichigo said, noticing how that made Orihime's frown soften.

"There's another flash drive with footage on it," Urahara said, as he connected it to the computer, and it projected onto the big TV on the wall. "We can look at the first few days worth of footage, and call it a day."

Before Urahara could press play, Orihime tapped her fingers against the table. "Are we really going to give up on this?"

Ichigo reached over, and rested his hand on hers. "Maybe it'd be a good idea Orihime. We might just be wasting our time here."

"I just don't think so." Orihime disagreed, humming as she looked down at the table. _I think Rosehaven is important._

Urahara sighed and started the footage. "Like I said, we'll look at the footage for a little while longer, then we can call it a day. We can regroup and come back at another time to brainstorm new ideas on what to do next."

"Oh, this is from that little gas station next to that clinic." Toshiro said, as it had been a place where he and Rukia had gone to retrieve footage from.

They watched in silence for several minutes, and finally Ichigo nearly jumped as he pointed to the screen, a woman was seen walking up to the counter at the gas station. "That's the same color hair as the woman I saw."

His words only seemed to receive grumbling from some of the others. Rukia specifically frowning at him. "You've said that about a bunch of people. That chestnut red-ish brown is not that uncommon of a hair color."

"I mean it's unlikely, but-" Orihime broke off as the woman finally turned around, and they could see her face. She felt a chill go down her spine, and the world around her seemed to freeze as her eyes connected with piercing blue/grey ones. She found herself brought back to an earlier time in her life.

" _Come on Orihime." Sora said, picking her three-year-old self up, as he slung a bag over his other shoulder._

" _Where do you think you're going?!" A chilling scream came from the other side of the room._

" _We're getting as far away from here as possible." Sora replied, as he started towards the door._

" _You're going to regret this Sora!" The voice continued. "Her father will come after you eventually, and you will regret this!"_

" _If we stay, I fear we'll regret it more." Was all Sora replied with, before he opened the front door._

 _Orihime looked back over her brother's shoulder, and her eyes met blue/grey ones, surrounded by chestnut colored hair._

"That's the woman I saw." Ichigo's voice got Orihime back to the room in Urahara's.

Yoruichi had turned to face the screen more. "Really?"

"Oh my god," Rin said as she really got a look of the screen. She turned immediately to Orihime, who had a look of horror on her face. "She's dead. She's supposed to be dead. That can't be her Orihime."

Orihime remained silent, as she felt herself slowly start to panic on the inside. "This can't be happening. This isn't real. I'm dreaming. I have to be dreaming."

"What's going on here?" Renji asked, confused at why all of a sudden Orihime was panicking.

Toshiro raised an eyebrow at Rin. "Rin?"

Rin's focus only remained on Orihime. "It can't be real."

"Orihime." Ichigo said, noticing Orihime's face growing pale, and recognized the signs of her having a panic attack.

Unable to catch her breath for a moment, Orihime felt her heart racing out of her chest, as she stared at the cold eyes on the screen. "That's my… mother."

"What?!" Akira asked.

"You're parents are supposed to be dead-"

"They _are_ dead," Rin interrupted Ichigo quickly, as she rested a hand on Orihime's shoulder. "Are you sure?"

Orihime was silent, as she found herself back in her head.

 _Orihime looked back over her brother's shoulder, and her eyes met blue/grey ones, surrounded by chestnut colored hair. Then she started to look away to Sora, his young eighteen-year-old face settled with a frown, despite the hurling of insults coming from the woman inside the apartment._

Taking a shaky breath, Orihime clenched her fists together, as she looked away from the screen. "My mother is working with Aizen."

* * *

 **A/N: … All I can say is wow.**

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	20. Feeling Broken

_Review:_

 _Orihime was silent, as she found herself back in her head._

 _Orihime looked back over her brother's shoulder, and her eyes met blue/grey ones, surrounded by chestnut colored hair. Then she started to look away to Sora, his young eighteen-year-old face settled with a frown, despite the hurling of insults coming from the woman inside the apartment._

 _Taking a shaky breath, Orihime clenched her fists together, as she looked away from the screen. "My mother is working with Aizen."_

* * *

 **Continued on**

Standing right in front of the TV screen, Orihime silently stared at the frozen image of her mother.

"Maybe we should turn the TV off-"

"No!" Orihime snapped, interrupting Urahara, as she kept her eyes on the screen.

The room fell into silence again, as everyone's eyes were on Orihime. Rin finally stood up from the table, and walked over to stand next to Orihime. Not saying a word, as she also was looking at the screen.

Recognizing Rin was beside her, Orihime sighed. "Did you ever meet my parents?"

"No," Rin shook her head. "I was almost six years younger than your brother, and he left me with the impression that your parents were dead. It took him over a year to tell me more about your parents, and even then, I could tell he held back."

"Oh..."

"I did see one picture of your mom once," Rin said, noticing Orihime's disappointed look. "That's how I was able to recognize her."

"Honestly, I was too young to really remember them myself," Orihime then motioned to the TV screen. "But as soon as I saw her face here, I got this memory from back when Sora had packed up our stuff, and was taking me away from them. I don't think my dad was there, but my mother was. She was screaming and threatening Sora for taking me away… Honestly, it wasn't until I was much older that Sora told me our parents were dead… That's obviously not true. I just don't understand how she's been alive this whole time, and I had no clue."

Renji cleared his throat. "To be fair, it is possible that she's dead."

"Renji." Ichigo said, his eyes narrowing.

"We can't eliminate that possibility," Toshiro pointed out. "It is possible was dead and came to be a shinigami, and that's how she met Aizen."

They fell into silence again, and Isshin focused on Rin. "Do you know anything else that might be useful about her?"

"Not really. I could tell that Sora never liked to talk about it," Rin replied, turning away from the screen to look at the others. "Like I said, Sora was almost six years older than I was, and honestly I think he just assumed I couldn't handle the full details. At the time, it bothered me, because he didn't know I was a Somi, and I've probably seen much worse."

"That's unfortunate," Akira sighed, then she glanced to Orihime. "Sorry Orihime."

Staring at the screen until her eyes got a little blurry, Orihime finally turned and walked out the front doors, and it wasn't until she was out there that she released a deep breath. She stopped by the car and leaned back against it. Trying to hold back from completely breaking down. When she noticed Rin had come outside as well, she sniffled, and closed her eyes.

"I know this has to be shocking to you."

"That's an understatement," Orihime replied, opening her eyes after a moment to look at Rin. "If she's been alive this whole time, then she has to have known that I was out there somewhere-"

"No, don't do that Orihime," Rin interrupted, her hand going to Orihime's shoulder. "I don't know what is really behind your mother being alive or dead and a shinigami, but I do know one thing. Your brother made sure that I knew that she was not fit to be your mother, and that is why he took you away from her. No matter if she's really alive or not, she does not deserve a place in your life. She never did. I know this is a lot to process now, but I don't want you to forget that. She was horrible to you and your brother. He had scars to prove it," she paused to turn over Orihime's right wrist to show a small scar. "You do too."

Feeling as if she was barely able to hold on to keep from her losing it, Orihime accepted a hug from Rin, and just remained silent.

Footsteps were heard, and Ichigo approached them with Mina in his arms. His eyes met Orihime's. "Do you want to go home? We can talk about this stuff some other day."

Orihime nodded numbly. Rin just hugged her again. "Let me know if you need anything."

 **Back at home**

Walking up the basement stairs after Ichigo, Orihime walked past him and Mina once they were inside the kitchen, and he was letting Bingo out to go to the bathroom.

"Orihime."

Ignoring Ichigo's words, Orihime continued upstairs, and went to her and Ichigo's bathroom to go take a shower. After turning the water on, she undressed and got in. Standing under the stream of hot water, and she closed her eyes.

" _Come on Orihime." Sora said, picking her three-year-old self up, as he slung a bag over his other shoulder._

" _Where do you think you're going?!" A chilling scream came from the other side of the room._

" _We're getting as far away from here as possible." Sora replied, as he started towards the door._

" _You're going to regret this Sora!" The voice continued. "Her father will come after you eventually, and you will regret this!"_

" _If we stay, I fear we'll regret it more." Was all Sora replied with, before he opened the front door._

 _Orihime looked back over her brother's shoulder, and her eyes met blue/grey ones, surrounded by chestnut colored hair. Then she started to look away to Sora, his young eighteen-year-old face settled with a frown, despite the hurling of insults coming from the woman inside the apartment._

Shaking herself out of the memory, she went through the bathing process, and she got out of the shower. Wrapping a towel around herself, she plugged in her blow dryer after combing her hair, and started to dry her hair. Her reflection in the mirror was distorted, as they were still fogged up from the steam of the shower. The constant sound of the lull of the hair dryer brought another memory to the surface.

 _Her eleven-year-old self opened the door of the car, and jumped in the car happily. "Hey."_

" _How was school?"_

 _Orihime's eyes met the eyes of her brother's, and she smiled. "It was great. I got my test back, and I got the top mark in the class."_

" _I'm glad our study sessions paid off," Sora replied, starting them off driving. "What else did you do today?"_

" _Well, in history class, my teacher talked about family trees, and told us how they can trace a bloodline for thousands of years… It made me think about who's on our family tree."_

 _Sora got real quiet after Orihime stopped talking, and finally he pulled the car over to put it in park. He turned to face her. "It's just you and I."_

" _But we had to have come from somewhere Sora."_

The almost burning heat from her hair dryer caught her attention, as it had been resting on the same spot on her shoulder. Finishing with her hair, she walked into the bedroom, and as soon as she was changed in pajamas, she got into bed. The bedroom door was pushed open, and shortly after Bingo jumped up on the bed. He came right over, and flopped down right next to her. Lifting her hand up, Orihime pet Bingo a few times, and let herself be taken back to her memories.

" _But we had to come from somewhere Sora."_

 _Sora was quiet again, before he murmured, "Orihime."_

" _I don't understand," Orihime said, crossing her arms over her chest, as she looked ahead of them. The view of the big bridge in the distance. "Everyone in my class can at least talk about a few branches on their family tree, and ours can't possibly just be you and me."_

" _That's just how it has to be Orihime."_

" _Why?"_

 _Sora reached over for one of Orihime's hands. "Our parents are dead, but before they died, I took you away from them."_

" _I know that."_

" _But I don't think you understand what that means," Sora said, taking a long, deep breath. "Our parents weren't good people. They were mean and hateful, and they don't deserve to be on our family tree."_

 _Orihime was quiet for a moment. "But that means that it's only you and me."_

" _That's right, and we're all the family we need. As long as we have each other, we are going to be okay."_

 _Finally, a smile broke on Orihime's face, as she met her brother's eyes. "Okay."_

" _I know I am only your older brother, but I will do whatever it takes so you can have the life you deserve. I need you to remember something very important though," Sora said, sharing a smile with his sister. "It is not the blood that runs in your veins that defines you, but it's the people that you surround yourself with that defines you. The people who love you and bond with you that makes a person. Our past doesn't define us."_

 _Orihime nodded. "I love you Sora."_

" _I love you too." Sora replied, matching her smile, before he started the car forward again._

The sound of footsteps got Orihime's attention, and she saw that it was Ichigo.

"I put Mina down in the nursery," Ichigo said, sitting down on the bed next to Orihime. He rested a hand on her shoulder, as she had her back facing him. "Orihime..."

Finally moving to sit up, as she face Ichigo, Orihime slowly met his eyes. As soon as their eyes met, she felt the damn break, and she finally started to cry. Letting Ichigo wrap his arms around her, she rested her head on his shoulder, and let herself cry.

 **The next afternoon, March 4th**

Staring at the wall of her and Ichigo's bedroom, Orihime focused on petting Bingo, and the sound of the fan circling in the room. She barely noticed when Ichigo walked in with Mina on his hip.

"Hey, I'm going to meet with our wedding planner," Ichigo said to receive no response from Orihime, he sighed. "Are you sure you don't want to come?"

Again, Orihime was silent, but she finally said, "No."

It was quiet as Ichigo watched Orihime, and he knelt down so he could be on her eye level. "Orihime… Are you sure-"

"Ichigo, I've already said no!" Orihime interrupted, before she turned to lay on her other side. She heard nothing from Ichigo, but she knew he was still there.

"Okay… I'll just let you know how it goes."

Not responding back, Orihime could hear as Ichigo finally turned to leave their bedroom. Bingo jumped over her so he could be on the side she was facing, and he laid back down next to her. She sighed at his overly cheerful behavior, but she pet him again. Her mind going around and around at the memories of her brother leaving with her, as if it was on permanent repeat.

 **A few days later**

Putting a scoop of food in Bingo's bowl, Ichigo sighed in relief as that seemed to settle Bingo's whining and nosing at the cabinets, as he went straight to his bowl. "Enjoy it buddy-" Breaking off at Mina starting to cry from where she was playing on the play mat in the living room, Ichigo put the food scoop away, and went over to pick Mina up. "What's going on baby girl?"

Mina settled down after a moment of Ichigo holding her. The sound of water boiling over on the stove had Ichigo quickly going back to the kitchen to take the lid off, as a knock was heard on the door. He had to pause to take a breath. _Why is so many things happening at one time?_

Walking over to the front door, he unlocked it and opened it to see his dad on the other side. "Hey."

"Hello," Isshin greeted back, as he came inside and they walked to the living room, and raised an eyebrow as he was taking off his jacket. "This place looks like a tornado ran through here."

"Sorry," Ichigo said, as he had to balance Mina as he tried to pick some of the things up on his way back to the kitchen. "I haven't had to much time for cleaning the past few days."

Isshin walked over, and took Mina from Ichigo and sat down at the kitchen table. "How has it been over here? We haven't heard from you in a few days."

Sighing heavily, Ichigo put pasta in the pot of boiling water. "It's been rough. Orihime's depressed and will hardly leave our room."

"She's just in shock."

"Yeah, well she also has had hardly anything to eat in the last few days, and only ate something yesterday after we got into a huge argument and I practically had to force her to eat."

"It has to be hard..." Isshin trailed off, focusing on Mina for a moment, then back to his son. "How are you dealing with it?"

Ichigo leaned back against one of the counters, and took a moment to think. "I don't know what to say to her, and usually anything I do say to her makes it worse. She already blames herself for Aizen coming after her and Mina, and now I feel like it's just ten times worse now that her mother is somehow involved. She's blaming herself for all of this."

"Why shouldn't I?"

Orihime's voice practically made Ichigo jump out of his skin, as she had appeared on the other side of the countertops that were open to the living room. Her hair was ruffled, and she was still in pajamas.

Before Ichigo could say anything, Orihime continued. "Aizen is after me and our daughter because of the power that runs through our veins. Come to find out that my mother has been working with him, and for all I know this is some twisted revenge plot against the fact that my brother took me away from her and our father!"

Ichigo motioned with his hand downward, at her voice raising. "Orihime-"

"How is it not my fault that our daughter is at risk Ichigo?" Orihime interrupted, her eyes glaring at him. "I'm so happy that you get to live every day, and feel great because it's not your side of the family tree that's repeatedly putting our daughter at risk. It must be so great for you!"

That being said, Orihime turned and went back upstairs. After the sound of the door shutting upstairs was heard, Ichigo rested his elbows on the counter, and sighed.

Isshin watched his son for a moment. "How about you go out and see some of your friends, and I can stay here and take care of Mina and Bingo. Also, I can clean this place up a bit."

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"You need a break, and you need to get out of the house for a bit, son."

"Dad," Ichigo said, lifting his head up from his hands. "Orihime has been extremely unpredictable, and I don't want her to come downstairs while I'm gone and take whatever anger she is feeling out on you."

Isshin smirked at that. "Ichigo, I have three kids. Two of which are teenage girls, and I can promise you that I will be just fine," he said, noticing that didn't seem to completely reassure Ichigo. "It would be best if you left the house for a few hours, take some time for yourself, and come back refreshed. You need it."

Ichigo was quiet for a moment. "Okay."

"I'll finish cooking this pasta, and put it away so you can have it for tomorrow," Isshin said, then he motioned to Mina in his arms. "Then I'll feed Mina her dinner and give her a bath, and try to get her to bed. Finally, I will attempt to clean up around here, until Bingo ultimately distracts me, and I'll help get some of his energy out by throwing around his ball in the backyard."

That finally brought a small smile to Ichigo's face, as he needed once. "Okay, thanks dad."

 **Out by the big bridge**

"I haven't had Rocky's in a while." Tatsuki said from the passenger seat, biting into a burger, and staring at the view of the sun going down by the bridge.

"Same here." Ichigo agreed, his eyes going over to Tatsuki. As soon as he left his house, he drove to pick Tatsuki up from her college, so they could go out and do something, and they both settled on just eating dinner.

"How is my fur-godson?"

Ichigo chuckled at how she phrased that. "Bingo is fine… You should just get your own dog at this point."

Tatsuki sighed over-dramatically. "I would, but the apartment complex that Akira and live in doesn't allow pets. Which is stupid if you ask me."

"Why did you two choose to live there then?"

"Because it's inexpensive and already furnished before we moved in," Tatsuki replied, laughing at Ichigo's raised eyebrow. "You can't relate, because they pay you a billion dollars as a shinigami."

"It's not a billion dollars-"

"It's more than minimum wage." Tatsuki interrupted, chuckling.

Ichigo finished off his burger, and grabbed his drink. "I thought you liked your job though. You're a karate instructor, and that's basically your favorite thing."

"I do like my job," Tatsuki agreed. "However, I don't think I want to be a karate instructor for the rest of my life."

"What are you going to college for?"

Tatsuki laughed shortly at Ichigo's question. "Beats me. I have no idea yet. I guess I will figure out a degree eventually. Probably right at the end of my Sophomore year."

"Why Sophomore year?"

"That's when I will run out of my general education courses, and have no choice but to pick a major."

Ichigo chuckled at her honest answer. "Right."

"Honestly though," Tatsuki said, taking another bite of her burger. "I probably should have waited to go to college, and figured out what I wanted to do first. At least for a year or two. That way it would feel like I'm not completely wasting my time."

"I feel that. I might not ever go to college myself, but Orihime said she might if she ever finds something she wanted to do."

Ichigo's words left them both in silence, as Tatsuki could tell just by mentioning her name had Ichigo's smile falling. "How's she doing?"

"It's been… rough, I guess," Ichigo replied honestly. "She's been like a completely different person the last few days."

"I can try talking to her if you want."

Ichigo shook his head. "I don't think that's a good idea. She won't even hold Mina."

That brought a frown to Tatsuki's face. "That's really sad to think about."

"Yeah..." Ichigo trailed off, hunching forward and resting his forehead on the steering wheel, then he found himself crying.

Tatsuki reached over and rested her hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry Ichigo."

 **A couple days later, March 9th, late afternoon**

Ichigo stopped with his hand on the door, and took a long deep breath before he walked in. "Sorry I'm late everyone."

"No worries." Urahara replied from where he was sitting at the head of the table.

Ichigo joined the others at the table. "I had to drop Mina off at Mai's house, as I can't really leave her at home right now."

"I talked to Tatsuki," Akira said, looking to Ichigo with a concerned look in her eye. "Is Orihime feeling better?"

"Not really," Ichigo said, his frown deepening at the thought. "She's at least eating now without us having a half hour long argument about how she can't go days without eating."

It was quiet in the room, and Toshiro coughed. "That's progress."

"She rarely leaves our bedroom, still won't hold our daughter, and barely says two words to me when we see each other. I don't see how that's progress," was Ichigo's bitter reply, however, he took a deep breath, and tried to move on. "I think we just need to focus on what we can do next. The sooner we out where Aizen is, the sooner that Orihime might start to feel better."

"How are we going to do that though?"

"Rukia." Renji said at her blunt question.

"I'm sorry that I'm trying to be realistic here," Rukia replied, her eyes on Ichigo. "We just now found out that the mystery woman we've been looking for is Orihime's mother, and she hasn't reappeared anytime recently so I don't know what we can do."

Urahara waved his hand at the image of Orihime's mother on the wall. "I think we need to just focus on the information we already have, and try to see if it points to where Aizen or Orihime's mother-"

"Can we not call her that?" Ichigo interrupted, rubbing his temple. "It makes Orihime more upset if we call that woman her mother, and if she did happen to want to get back involved in any of this, I think it'd be better if we were not saying."

Urahara nodded slowly, as he and the others could all tell that Ichigo was rather tense. "Well, we need to start looking at what we have, as well as the arrancar sightings, and see if we can figure where they are coming from."

Isshin noticed his son's frown deepening. "Son, I know that it seems like we're not getting anywhere, but we'll find something eventually."

"Eventually isn't good enough-"

The door opening interrupted Ichigo, and Orihime appeared. She looked pretty rough with dark circles from lack of sleep under her eyes, and her hair slicked back into a ponytail, as it hadn't been washed in a few days. Her eyes went right to Ichigo. "I think we need to go to Rosehaven again."

The fact that Orihime was talking to him right away seemed to cheer Ichigo up, as he stood up from the table and nodded quickly. "Yeah okay. Let's go right now."

"I don't know," Rin started, a skeptical look in her eye. "I don't know if that's such a good idea."

"We have nothing!" Orihime snapped, as she crossed her arms over her chest. "We are nowhere closer to finding out where Aizen and-" She broke off, sighed, then motioned to the photo of her mother. "She is the only thing we have. If we can figure out how she knows Aizen, then that might help us find out something. Anything would be helpful at this point."

"Okay, let's do it." Ichigo said, still readily agreeing with Orihime, as his eyes went to his dad.

"I can go pick up Mina for you, and I'll grab Bingo from your house. You two can take as long as you need." Isshin said, sharing a nod with his son.

"Alright," Ichigo said, his eyes meeting Orihime's again. "Let's go."

Orihime hesitated, as she reached to grab Ichigo's arm to stop him. "I can't guarantee we're going to find anything."

Ichigo reached forward, and rested his hand on the side of her face. "That's okay, but like you said, anything would be helpful at this point, right?"

Orihime nodded, as she moved to the door. "Let's go."

 **Rosehaven**

Crossing the crosswalk, Orihime stopped once they got to a dead end street. They were up towards the run-down northern end of town, and were staring down a street of abandoned apartments.

"This is what we're here for?" Toshiro asked, as he, Rukia and Ichigo stopped beside Orihime.

"Yeah." Orihime replied, standing there for a moment longer, before she started down the sidewalk. It led them to the apartment building at the end of the road. Walking up the stairs to the second floor, she walked around the building until she reached the farther door on the right, and she stared at the door. Taking a breath, she knelt down and started to work on the lock.

"You know how to pick locks?" Ichigo asked, then he shook his head. "Why bother asking? I'm sure you learned it from Tatsuki."

Unlike usual, Orihime didn't laugh, and she just stood up and opened the door. "The lock was pretty rusty, so it wasn't too hard."

They walked into the apartment slowly, it was dark as the power no longer worked. Rukia crossed the room and opened the curtains that practically fell off the wall when she did. "Oops."

Dust flew upwards from the floor after the curtains fell, and they all coughed a little. However, they now were able to see the apartment now. The furniture was old, dusty, and covered in spider webs. Orihime looked around now that she could see, and hummed lowly.

Toshiro watched her for a moment. "Why are we here exactly?"

"This is where I used to live," Orihime replied, standing in the doorway to the kitchen, she frowned. "Before Sora took me away to Karakura Town."

"Are you sure?" Ichigo asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure. This building seemed familiar to me the last time we were here, and I think it's because this is where I lived the first three years of my life." Orihime replied, glancing specifically at an old circle table that caught her eye, and she found herself swallowed back in her memory.

" _Come on Orihime." Sora said, picking her three-year-old self up, as he slung a bag over his other shoulder._

" _Where do you think you're going?!" A chilling scream came from the other side of the room._

" _We're getting as far away from here as possible." Sora replied, as he started towards the door._

" _You're going to regret this Sora!" The voice continued. "Her father will come after you eventually, and you will regret this!"_

Snapping right out of her memory, Orihime looked to the others. "Ever since we saw her on that security footage, I've been getting this memory of the day my brother took me away, and it's of my mom and brother arguing as he's leaving with me."

Rukia nodded slowly. "Okay."

"The last thing she said, or at least that I remember doesn't make sense to me," Orihime continued, as she went to stand in the open doorway of the apartment. "She was telling Sora he would regret taking me away, but then she said that my father would come after him. She didn't say it as if it was mine and Sora's father, but just my father."

"So, you think that you and Sora have different fathers?" Toshiro asked after a moment of silence.

Orihime nodded slowly, as she turned back to look at the apartment. "I don't for sure, but the way she phrased it made it sound like it."

Ichigo glanced around. "What exactly does this mean?"

"I'm not sure," Orihime replied, as she finally turned to leave the apartment. "But I figure that maybe if we find out for sure, maybe my birth father might still be alive, and can tell us more about her."

Ichigo was quick to follow Orihime around to the stairs. "Do you think it's a good idea to go digging into this? Can you handle it if we do find out your father is alive?"

"Honestly, I don't know," Orihime started down the steps. "But I've got to find out as much as I can."

Toshiro and Rukia caught up with them, and Toshiro's eyes moved from them to the sky. "I think we need to start this on a different day though. It's almost dark out, and we probably need to be getting back to Karakura."

"Okay." Orihime agreed, they reached the crosswalk, and she walked over, her eyes focused on the park. Once on the other side of the street, she walked over to the fence that surrounded the park. Her eyes moved to the fountain in the middle.

 _Water gushed from the fountain, butterflies flew around the flowers around it, and children's laughter was heard. A young three-year-old Orihime skipped over to the fountain, and she reached down to grab one of the white flowers._

" _No, no Orihime."_

 _Orihime looked up to see Sora towering over her, a big smile on his face as he knelt down beside her. "Why?"_

" _If we pick these flowers, they won't be there for other people to enjoy when they come here," Sora explained, as he took one of her hands. "They are here for everyone to enjoy."_

" _I know. They are pretty." Orihime said, sighing as she left the flowers be._

 _Noticing his sister's disappointed look, Sora's smile widened. "How about we go to the store and get some flowers of our own? Then we can stop for ice cream on our way back."_

" _Yes! Let's go!" Orihime exclaimed, as pulled at her brother's hand. Smiling as he laughed._

Opening her eyes to see the run-down, dark looking park, Orihime felt tears come to her eyes.

"Hey, you okay?" Ichigo asked softly, noticing she was about to cry.

"Um yeah, let's just go." Orihime wiped at her eyes, and started in front of the others. _I feel so broken..._

* * *

 **A/N: The news of her mother still being alive was something no one could have expected, and Orihime's struggling to fix the broken pieces.**

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	21. Who is Orihime's Father?

_Review:_

 _Opening her eyes to see the run-down, dark looking park, Orihime felt tears come to her eyes._

" _Hey, you okay?" Ichigo asked softly, noticing she was about to cry._

" _Um yeah, let's just go." Orihime wiped at her eyes, and started in front of the others. I feel so broken..._

* * *

 **A few weeks later, April 1st, Saturday**

"Where's Orihime at?" Nadia, their wedding planner, asked as she joined the table where Ichigo was sitting.

Ichigo sighed, but tried to hide it with a smile. "She wasn't really feeling up to leaving the house today."

Nadia hummed as she opened her notebook. "I hope she's doing okay. She hasn't come to our last few appointments."

"To be honest, she's going through something with… her family," Ichigo said, inwardly cringing at adding that last part, but it seemed like that settled Nadia's questions. "This past month has been hard on her, and I'm trying to take on more to make it easier for her."

Nadia seemed to accept that, as she nodded and motioned to the notebook. "We're essentially looking at a busy month, as there are many things that we need to finalize or get started on. A big one is for you and Orihime to find your tux and her dress. I'd love to say that it is a short process, but not many people find themselves lucky enough to find their tux or dress on the first try. If anything, the bride usually has several different fittings and different locations, and that could take a month or two. Then getting everything altered could take even longer, and it's really important to at least start the process sooner rather than later."

Ichigo nodded slowly. "I'll be sure to bring that up to Orihime when I get home. Hopefully, she'll cheer up a little."

Nadia offered him a sympathetic smile, before she flipped to a new tab. "Okay, moving on."

 **An hour later**

Shutting the basement door, Ichigo set Mina down after Bingo had calmed a little. Watching her go over to the living room to her toys, Ichigo then focused on letting Bingo out back. Hearing heavier footsteps than Mina, Ichigo turned back to see Orihime coming downstairs. Her hair was up in a messy bun, and she was in her pajamas. "Good afternoon."

"Hey." Orihime mumbled, as she moved over to the refrigerator.

At her silence, Ichigo sighed and moved over to the bar stools. "The meeting with our wedding planner went well. It was mostly us finalizing stuff, but she did talk about how it's about time for us to start searching for my tux and your dress."

"That's great." Orihime replied shortly, as she closed the refrigerator and grabbed an apple from the bowl on the counter.

Seeing she wasn't as excited for shopping for a wedding dress than he thought she would, Ichigo glanced to Mina, and got another idea. "On another note, Mina's birthday is coming up next month, and maybe we can start brainstorming ideas for what we want to do."

Orihime shrugged and took a bite out of her apple. "I guess so."

Sighing heavily at that, Ichigo turned to close the back door after Bingo came in. "You could at least try to sound a little bit excited."

"Her birthday isn't going to be for another month, why would we start planning it now?" Orihime countered, her eyes narrowing in his direction. "And our wedding is four months away, and I have time to get a wedding dress later. I don't really care to do any of that now."

"You don't really care to do anything lately!" Ichigo snapped back at her, as he turned around and met her eyes. "I get that you've been depressed and upset, but you can't just ignore the people in your life."

"I'm not ignoring-"

"You haven't left the house in three weeks!" Ichigo interrupted her, as he felt all this anger boil up the surface. "You barely talk to me. You don't talk to any of our friends or family."

"Why would I want to talk to any of you?!" Orihime countered, as she slapped her hand on the counter. "I can barely look anyone in the eye, because of all the problems I have caused-"

"Oh we are not going there again!" Ichigo interrupted, waving his hand back and forth. "No one blames you for Aizen! No one blames you for your mother helping him-"

"Don't call her that!" Orihime shouted, as she brought her hands to her head. "I should have just stayed in Hueco Mundo a couple of years ago, then none of this would be happening."

"Then we wouldn't be together or have Mina," Ichigo replied, his eyes glaring at her. "Is that really what you want?"

"At least I wouldn't be constantly putting yours and her life at risk every damn day!" Orihime countered, before she turned away to go upstairs.

Mina starting to cry from the living room kept Ichigo from going after her, and he moved quickly over to her. Seeing that she had pushed one of her toys too far under the couch and couldn't reach it, he sighed and knelt down to get it for her. Forcing a smile onto his face, he handed the toy to her, as he noticed it was actually Bingo's toy that she tossed back across the room for Bingo to retrieve. Sighing at their innocence and obliviousness at what just happened, Ichigo sat on the floor, and leaned his head back on the couch behind him. _This is day took a turn for the worse._

 **That night**

Turning over to her other side, Orihime sighed as she felt no closer to sleep than she did two hours ago when she first laid down. Trying for another couple minutes, she finally got up, and tip-toed out of the room to try to keep from waking up Bingo or Ichigo. Walking downstairs, she went to the study, and sat down at her desk. Turning on her computer, she pulled up her recent work, and frowned as she looked it over. Over the past month she had been slowly collecting as much as she could on narrowing down who her father could be.

While she wasn't a hundred percent certain that she had a separate father than Sora, she couldn't ignore the possibility. _At this point, it's the only thing we have to go on-_ Her thoughts broke off when she heard a creak sound, then Ichigo walked in. They had apologized to each other over dinner after their fight, but it still seemed a little off between them.

It was quiet as they stared at each other for a moment, then Ichigo crossed his arms. "What's up?"

Orihime sighed, as her eyes went back to the screen. "Nothing new. I just can't sleep..."

Pulling the chair from the desk over, Ichigo sat down next to her, and looked to the computer screen. "I think we've narrowed down that if you did have a different father than your brother, there is no digital record that can confirm that."

"I've searched everywhere from Rosehaven to all the cities and towns surrounding it," Orihime said, as she leaned back on the chair a little. "I could only find a death certificate for Sora's father, and possibly my father. There's not one for my mother though."

"So you think she's alive and not a shinigami? Or I guess she could be alive and be a shinigami-"

"Or something completely different," Orihime interrupted, shrugging at Ichigo's look. "I had to get my strange powers from somewhere."

"That's true, I guess." Ichigo agreed, trying to rub the sleep from his eyes.

Orihime hummed lowly, and focused back on the computer screen. "She could have lived anywhere in the world before coming to Rosehaven, and if she did in face die, it could have been hundreds of years ago. There's no way I could trace that without having some sort of idea of her story, or more of our relatives."

Ichigo noticed that on the desk table, she had Sora's birth certificate, as well as her own. However, a question mark on her's, had him raising an eyebrow. "What does this mean?"

"That's the thing, I found Sora's birth certificate easily, and it had both signatures on it. Mine does as well," Orihime replied, as her hand went to her birth certificate. "But something doesn't seem right about it. It's a copy of the original one, and I think my original might still be at the hospital in Rosehaven."

"Are you sure you were born in Rosehaven?" Ichigo asked, then he shook his head. "It doesn't matter. If you think it's possible, then maybe it's worth going to check out."

Orihime raised an eyebrow at Ichigo getting his phone. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to call my dad and see if he can watch Mina."

"Ichigo, it's two in the morning," Orihime said, noticing that didn't stop Ichigo from dialing his dad's number. "We don't have to go right now."

His dad picked up on the second ring, and Ichigo asked him if he would mind watching Mina if they brought her over. His dad agreed, then they ended the phone call.

"Ichigo-"

"Orihime," Ichigo interrupted, as he reached over for her hand. "I know that sometimes you think that you are the only one who's going through this, but I am right here with you. I've spent most of my time over the past few months trying to find something to go off of, and this might just be that something. We need to try. I don't want to keep sitting around."

Hearing that felt relieving to Orihime's ears, and she leaned over to hug him. Feeling his arms wrap around her, she sighed. "I love you Ichigo."

"I love you too," Ichigo said, as they pulled apart. "If you want to go get Mina, I'll get her stuff together, and get Bingo too."

"Okay," Orihime replied, as she got up. As she left the room to head to the stairs, she smiled a little. _I hope this tells us something._

 **An hour and a half later, Rosehaven**

Setting their bodies in the trunk of the car, Orihime cringed as Ichigo shut the trunk. "This is uncomfortable."

"We are doing this so no randomly comes across our bodies and thinks that we're dead," Ichigo said, smirking at Orihime's raised eyebrow. "Last time we did this, you were able to sit next to my body and just make it look like I fell asleep. Since we're both going, this just makes it easier."

Orihime sighed heavily as they walked away from the car to leave the parking deck. "This is probably one of the strangest things we've done together. Put our bodies in the trunk of a car."

Ichigo laughed as they jumped up on top of one of the buildings to start crossing rooftops to get to the hospital faster. "I have to agree with you there."

"When we get to the hospital, we should probably stay away from people. I know no one is going to be able to see us, but we just need to stay away from people who like they are about to die," Orihime said, feeling Ichigo's eyes go to her, she looked over to see his raised eyebrow. "What? Have you not seen those shows that always portray someone who's dying or about to die, and how they can see ghosts."

It was quiet for a moment, then Ichigo laughed. "Wow."

"Don't laugh at me." Orihime said, however, she smiled as he continued his laughter. Once they landed in front of the hospital and entered the building, Orihime took in a long deep breath. _I still don't like hospitals._

"Okay," Ichigo said, having glanced at the map before they went into the stairwell. "The file room we are looking for is most likely on the basement floor. If that doesn't have what we want, there are smaller rooms of files in each wing of the hospital."

"I would think that older files would be downstairs."

"That's what I thought too. That or they are in a completely separate location, but let's hope that is not the case."

After Ichigo finished talking, they started down the stairs and had to get through the locked door to access the floor. Orihime was busy looking around at the more dimly lit floor, and the signage. Her face scrunching up at the sight of the morgue sign. "Oh god."

"Don't think about it," Ichigo said, taking her arm to keep her walking past the morgue, and further down the hall. They finally got to the file room, and once inside they were greeted with what seemed like almost a hundred shelves. "This is a small town, right?"

"Yeah," Orihime said, walking over to the shelf closest to them. "But I mean this stuff could be over several decades, and there is probably a lot of medical information in here."

"I know, but this seems like a lot," Ichigo said, going over to another shelf. "How about we work on different shelves?"

"Sounds good. I'll let you know if I find anything… Although we might be here a while." Orihime said, starting to look through some files for her name. _Ichigo was right. For such a small town, you wouldn't think there would be so many files._ Her eyes moved through the cracks between shelves, and as she looked back it seemed like the shelves went on forever. _We'll be here forever._

 **An hour later**

"Found something."

Ichigo's voice caught Orihime's attention from across the room. Leaving the shelf she was looking at, she walked over, and glanced at the paper he had pulled out of a folder. It was what seemed like the original copy of her birth certificate, and sure enough, there was no signature on the father line.

"Your mother's name Kurahime is correct right?" Ichigo asked, pointing out the mother's line.

"I guess so," Orihime said, her eyes looking over the document. "I know that this can't completely confirm that my brother and I have separate fathers, but this at least makes me more suspicious."

"Speaking of," Ichigo said, as he pulled a second file. It had Sora's name on it, and he pulled out a birth certificate. "He does have a signature on the father line for his. Hotoko, like the one that is on the copy of your birth certificate at home."

"Did you find anything on my mom?"

"No. There appears to be no birth certificate or death certificate."

"If she were a normal human, then her birth certificate would exist. However, we don't know for sure if she was born here."

"Yes, but if she was a shinigami who has died, she could have died forever ago. There would be no chance of finding any of her information. Or she could be a regular human, who gained shinigami abilities, and that could explain why her files are non-existent," Ichigo said, then he pulled another file off the shelf. "This one has your name on it too."

Accepting the file from him, so he could put the others back, Orihime opened it, and raised an eyebrow. "It's a paternity test."

As Orihime flipped through the papers, Ichigo hummed lowly when she didn't say anything. "What does it say?"

"It says that I don't match Hotoko..." Orihime trailed off in a moment of silence. "So my mom must have had reasonable doubt to have this test done, and it turned out she was right that Sora's father is not my father. My dad might actually still be alive then."

"Maybe," Ichigo agreed, his eyes softening at Orihime's words. After another moment of silence, he nudged her shoulder. "We should get out of here. Once we get back to Karakura it should be close to five in the morning. We can get breakfast and go pick up Mina from my dad's."

"Okay, then we have to go over to Urahara's and tell the others. Just to keep them updated," Orihime replied, putting the file back on the shelf. Her eyes dropped down to the floor as they left the room to go back up to the main floor. "I hope we figure out all this mess soon. Hopefully, something will lead us to Aizen."

"It'll happen," Ichigo said encouragingly, reaching over to take her hand once they were back on the main floor. "I'm sure it will."

 **A few hours later, 7 a.m.**

"So it's confirmed that Orihime's father is not Sora's father..." Renji trailed off after Orihime and Ichigo finished explaining what happened that morning.

"What exactly does that tell us?" Rukia asked when no one else said anything. "How does this help our case to find Aizen?"

Orihime sighed at the question. "There's no guarantee it'll help."

"But," Ichigo started, as he motioned to Orihime. "If we can find her birth father, there is a chance that he might still be alive. He might know where to find Orihime's moth- Kurahime or maybe he could have crossed paths with Aizen himself."

"I don't know," Rangiku said, still a little skeptical. "I think we kind of went through Rosehaven the best we could-"

"To be fair," Toshiro interrupted, his arms crossed over his chest. "Knowing that Orihime has a separate father might be helpful. It might be easier to learn of associates of Kurahime, than finding her."

It was quiet as eyes went to Urahara, who finally nodded. "It wouldn't hurt to look into. We still haven't been successful on our end."

"Great," Orihime said, her eyes going back to Ichigo. "I kind of want to go ahead and go back to Rosehaven. Like right now."

"Didn't you two just get back from Rosehaven like two hours ago?" Akira asked, noticing the bags from lack of sleep under both Orihime and Ichigo's eyes.

"Yeah," Ichigo said, however after sharing a look with his father, he frowned at Orihime. "My family is pretty busy today. Dad and Yuzu are working and Karin is training. Then Hana's also working I think. So I think I should stay here to watch Mina."

Orihime's eyes focused down on Mina who was wide awake, sucking on her pacifier, and had her head resting on her chest. "Okay, that's fine."

"I can go with you," Toshiro offered, as he looked down to his phone. "Karin won't be out of training anytime soon."

"That's right," Akira agreed, as she stood up from the table. "Rin's been supervising so far this morning, and both Karin and Kimi are being a handful. Speaking of, I've taken a long enough break. I better get back to them."

After Akira left, Orihime nodded to Toshiro. "Yeah, it'll be nice if you would drive actually."

"I don't mind," Toshiro said, motioning to the door. "My car is outside."

Orihime turned back to Ichigo, as she passed Mina over. She kissed him, then the top of Mina's head. "Alright, I'll keep you updated."

 **Rosehaven, over an hour later**

Opening her eyes, Orihime blinked a few times as she had to adjust to the light coming in through the windshield. When she was able to focus, she realized they were parked in front of a window in a parking deck. Straightening up she looked over to Toshiro who was on his phone, but had looked up when she moved. "I fell asleep."

"Yes, you did," Toshiro said, a smirk appearing on his face. "Shortly after we started driving here."

Still a little disoriented from waking up, Orihime glanced at the time that had past. "How long have we been sitting in the parking deck?"

"About fifteen minutes," Toshiro said, reaching over to turn the car off, and smirking at that had put a concerned look on Orihime's face. "Don't worry about it. Karin kept me entertained. She's got training this morning, and they are letting her spar Kimi."

"Oh I see that going well," Orihime said, as she and Toshiro got out of the car. When they started to walk to the exit of the parking deck, she yawned. "I feel like I was just here."

"That's because you were just here," Toshiro replied, a smirk on his face. "And since when do you and Ichigo go on adventures in the middle of the night? That is the exact reason that you and I are best friends for."

Orihime chuckled, as they left the parking deck. "Aw, are you jealous, Toshiro?"

"Absolutely." Toshiro replied, smirking as that made her laugh.

Walking down the sidewalk in the direction of the northern side of town, Orihime yawned. "Maybe we should stop for coffee. I'm exhausted."

"Sounds good to me," Toshiro said, as they got to the Rose Hill Coffee House. They walked in and out within five minutes, and he smirked at how much happier Orihime seemed sipping at her coffee. "Better?"

"Much better," Orihime said, as she took another sip of the hot coffee. They crossed a few crosswalks, before they reached what was considered the northern section of town. "I think we need to try the places up here more regularly. According to Sora, our mother drank a lot, and I assume the bars might be a good place to check."

"So you think that by going into bars, we might run into her?" Toshiro asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Not necessarily," Orihime said, waving off his smirk. "Look, I don't expect to see her here, but you never know."

"I guess..." Toshiro trailed off, before raising an eyebrow as they stopped in front of a bar. "I can't believe they are already open. It's barely nine in the morning."

Orihime shrugged, as she approached the door. "Then it won't be busy now."

Five bars later they had no luck in finding anything useful, and Orihime's shoulders slumped in defeat. She and Toshiro stopped a block down in front of a small grocery store. "That was a complete waste of time."

"Well," Toshiro said, stopped as well, and crossed his arms over his chest. "We didn't expect it to give us the answer to everything."

Orihime scowled. "I know, but I at least expected it to give us something-"

"Kura!"

A woman's exclamation interrupted Orihime's voice, causing both Orihime and Toshiro to turn to see a middle-aged woman walking out of the grocery store. Her eyes on Orihime.

"Oh I'm sorry," the woman said, as she offered a smile to Orihime. "I thought you were a friend of mine."

 _Kura…_ Orihime thought, sharing a look with Toshiro, then she looked back at the lady. "You're friend's name is Kura?"

"Yes, Kura. Kurahime." The woman replied, shuffling a bag of groceries around in her arms.

"What a coincidence?" Toshiro countered, noticing Orihime had seemed to freeze up after the woman spoke. "We were actually looking for someone with that name."

Trying to keep her composure despite her head feeling like it was about to explode, Orihime put a smile on her face, and held out her hands. "My name is Orihime, and this is my friend Toshiro."

The woman's face lit up then, as she reached her hand forward to shake Orihime's. "It's nice to meet you both. You can call me Ivy… So you said you were looking for Kurahime?"

Orihime shrugged, as she noticed that Toshiro had given her a small shake of his head. "Well, we weren't really looking, so much as reminiscing," she said, as she tried to continue pulling out the fake story. "She was a friend of ours, and we hung out here sometimes. She was super cool, and she told us that sometimes she comes here to this town."

"Well," Ivy started, as she sat on the bench in front of the store. "I can't be certain if we are talking about the same person, but it is likely. There aren't many people with that name around here."

"Did you see her recently?" Orihime asked, trying not to sound so eager, but it was practically slipping out with every word she said.

"I did actually," Ivy said, nodding slowly as she hummed. "This last Summer actually. I live on the outskirts of town, but we ran into each other when I was shopping in town last year. I don't usually go into to town, so it would have to be fate that it happened."

 _No kidding. I would say it's fate again, as we're running into you._ Orihime thought to herself, before focusing back on Ivy. "Is that how you two met?"

"Oh no darling," Ivy replied with a laugh. "Kura and I met back a couple decades ago. We were pretty wild back then."

Orihime noticed her motioning to a tattoo on her wrist, and it was a flaming X. "What is that for?"

"Oh Kira and I went out and got it together on one of those wild nights." Ivy replied, her eyes looking Orihime over closely.

"When you saw Kura last Summer, was she traveling with someone?" Toshiro asked, breaking the silence that had come as Ivy had been surveying Orihime.

Ivy nodded. "Yeah, the guy was pretty banged up… Come to think of it, he seemed pretty familiar."

"How so?" Toshiro asked, raising an eyebrow after the woman had paused.

Ivy shrugged. "I don't know. I felt like I had seen the guy from somewhere. At first, I thought it was me having one of those strange deja vu feelings from the old days," she paused and chuckled, once again staring Orihime down. "Of course, back in those days, Kura and I were pretty blacked out, if you know what I mean."

Orihime was quiet as Ivy had laughed, and she swallowed the lump in her throat.

Noticing how uncomfortable Orihime was, Toshiro met Ivy's eyes. "Do you happen to know what Kura and that man were doing here last Summer?"

"They were living here for a while it seemed," Ivy replied, then she shrugged. "Then I guess they have moved on. As I said, I don't usually come into town. The only reason I knew they were even here was because of how they came to visit me every once in a while."

"What did they come here for?" Toshiro asked.

Ivy gained a grin on her face, as she motioned behind herself. "I make the best moonshine."

That received a sigh from both Orihime and Toshiro, and Orihime crossed her arms over her chest. "You wouldn't happen to have remembered seeing Aiz- that man before would you? Like maybe 19 or 20 years ago?"

"If I didn't make it clear before," Ivy said, as she chuckled. "I don't remember much of anything from that time of my life."

After that Orihime shared a look with Toshiro, then she met Ivy's eyes. "Well, we should probably get going. We have a decent drive to get home."

Ivy was quick to catch Orihime's hand in-between her own, and she seemed to stare directly into Orihime's soul. "Dear if you ever want to catch up, my home is a little cabin just over the little hill leading into the Northern forest. You can't miss it. There are a ton of white daisies that grow there this time of year."

"O-okay," Orihime said, forcing a smile onto her face, as she and Toshiro turned to leave. As soon as they were a good distance away, she looked to Toshiro. "She seemed..."

"Creepy?" Toshiro offered, shaking his head as they crossed the next crosswalk. "Karin's been into watching these horror and ghost movies on Lifetime, and Ivy kind of reminds me of the psychopath neighbor that is plotting the death of her neighbors. Or the crazy stalker that ends up attempting to kill someone to get closer to their friend or something. It's all in the eyes."

Orihime laughed. "I wouldn't go that far, but I mean, she does seem a little eccentric… How is it the entire time that we've been in Rosehaven and searching around Rosehaven, we haven't run into her before?"

"She did say that she doesn't come into town that often," Toshiro reminded, but he frowned. "The locals in the town probably know of her, but we just didn't know what we should be asking. We never knew that your mom had a friend here that still lives in town, or near the town I guess."

They stopped in front of the parking deck, and Orihime crossed her arms to think. "At least we found something out today. I don't know how it helps, but at least we know for sure that someone remembers seeing them. Apart from the initial couple of witnesses that I found that ended up not being that helpful."

"Want to stay here or go back home?"

"Let's go home. I miss Mina."

As they started up the stairs in the parking deck, Toshiro smirked at Orihime. "It's your birthday in a couple of days."

"Oh yeah… I guess I haven't thought much about it." Orihime said, her eyes focusing on the ground as they walked to the car. _Nothing says happy nineteenth birthday like Aizen and my mother looming around in the shadows._

* * *

 **A/N: What are you first impressions of Ivy?**

 **Don't forget to review, favorite, and share this story with others. Also be sure to check out my other stories.**

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	22. A Happy Birthday

_Review:_

" _Let's go home. I miss Mina."_

 _As they started up the stairs in the parking deck, Toshiro smirked at Orihime. "It's your birthday in a couple of days."_

" _Oh yeah… I guess I haven't thought much about it." Orihime said, her eyes focusing on the ground as they walked to the car. Nothing says happy nineteenth birthday like Aizen and my mother looming around in the shadows._

* * *

 **A couple days later, April 4th**

Waking up as tiny paws hit her chest, Orihime had to move quickly to try to avoid the excited golden retriever licking her face. "Oh my god, Bingo," she said, laughing as she had got him to settle flopping over on her. Her eyes went over to the center of the bed to see Mina, and she smiled reached over to take one of Mina's tiny hands. "Good morning baby girl."

Laughter came from the end of the bed, where Ichigo was standing up and watching them. His smile widening at Orihime's own laughter as Bingo had gone back to trying to attack her with kisses. "It's nice to hear you laugh so much."

Recognizing Ichigo was there, Orihime sat up a little, and brought Mina into her arms. "I knew someone was behind this attack of cuteness."

"You're welcome," Ichigo said, walking around the bed, so he could lean over and kiss her tenderly. "Happy birthday."

His words made Orihime sigh, as she looked down at Mina and Bingo. "I guess it's hard to say that it's not a happy birthday when I have these two cuties here," she said, then she winked at Ichigo. "And you of course."

"Wow, I feel like an afterthought," Ichigo laughed along with Orihime, as he sat down on the bed to give Bingo a little bit of attention. "What do you want to do today?"

"I thought we were just going over to your dad's house."

"That doesn't have to be the only thing we do today," Ichigo said with a shrug. "You only turn nineteen once. We can do whatever you want to today."

"I don't have anything specific in mind," Orihime said, leaning over so she could rest her shoulder. Giving Mina her pacifier back after she spit it out. "Let's just see where the day takes us. I'm perfectly fine just hanging out at your dad's, and maybe go to central park and get a funnel cake from that shop."

"That sounds like a great plan," Ichigo said, however, he hummed lowly and glanced at her. "Can I add to that plan?"

Orihime smiled. "Go ahead."

"I did happen to make probably the best breakfast you will ever have in your entire life," Ichigo said, reaching up to stroke her hair back. "It's waiting downstairs, along with a very hot cup of coffee, and your favorite creamer."

"I think I can accept that," Orihime said, as she pushed the covers back and got up with Mina. "Come on Mina. Let's go race Bingo downstairs."

Ichigo smirked as Bingo practically flew off the bed to follow Orihime and Mina out the bedroom door. His smirk softened to a smile when he could hear Orihime and Mina laughing, along with Bingo's barking from downstairs. _It's nice to see her so happy._

 **A** **couple of hours later, Isshin's house**

"So what do you want to do?" Karin asked, as she sat down on the same couch as Orihime. "We could go out, or we can stay in. We could binge-watch a TV show or watch a movie."

"Or we can go get those funnel cakes?" Yuzu asked after Karin stopped talking. "Ichigo mentioned something about that when you first got here."

"I know I just had breakfast a couple of hours ago, but that sounds great right now." Orihime agreed, her mouth watering at the thought of the sweet treats.

"Funnel cakes? Where would you get those?" Hana asked, sitting over with Isshin on one of the other couches.

"There is this amazing shop that sells all sorts of desserts," Yuzu started, as she pulled up the place on her phone to show Hana. "Their funnel cakes are amazing."

Isshin glanced over, then he sat up. "How about I go get some for everyone? Does anyone want to go with me?"

"I'll go." Yuzu volunteered, getting up to put her shoes on.

"I'd like to go as well," Hana agreed, as she got up as well. "I might end up buying more than just funnel cakes though. I have a major sweet tooth."

"Same here." Orihime agreed, sharing a chuckle with Hana. She focused down on Zorro, who was busy rubbing his head against Ichigo's hand, and she laughed when Zorro all of a sudden bit Ichigo's hand before running off.

"Ow!" Ichigo exclaimed, rubbing his hands, and smirking at Orihime's laugh. "It's not funny."

"Zorro's so cute though." Orihime said, her focus changing to Bingo, who had jumped up to get her attention.

"No, no Mina. You're not going outside with us." Yuzu said, as she had to turn Mina around to crawl in the other direction to keep her from going out the front door.

"Mina." Ichigo called over her name to get her to crawl over to him, as the others left outside.

Smiling at how well Mina was crawling, Orihime met Ichigo's eyes. "It's so nice that she's finally getting so mobile, but it makes me nervous when she gets around furniture."

Karin watched as Mina used the coffee table to help herself stand up, however she fell back down again before she could try to take a step. "She seems like she could start walking any day now."

"With how often she's been trying to stand up lately, I wouldn't be surprised." Ichigo agreed, his smile returning to his face as Mina looked to him and giggled.

"So Karin," Orihime said, getting Karin's attention. "How's your relationship going?"

Karin was quiet for a moment. "You don't talk about it with Toshiro?"

"I mean a little bit, but he doesn't give me any good details." Orihime replied, as she smiled at Karin.

"Okay, this is my cue to leave the room," Ichigo said as he scooped up Mina. "Come on Bingo, let's go out in the backyard."

Orihime and Karin both laughed at that, and after Ichigo was out back, Karin finally sighed. "Our relationship is great. I haven't felt this level of happiness in my life before… Uh sorry."

Knowing that she was referring to how depressed Orihime has been lately, she smiled at Karin. "It's okay. Don't apologize for being happy. I'm happy that you're happy," she said, then she gained a more suggestive look on her face. "So have you and Toshiro taken any new steps in your relationship?"

"I mean we told each other we loved each other, but that was back in November. You already knew about that," Karin said, however she noticed Orihime's look didn't go away, and she finally realized what she was hinting at. "Oh no. We're not doing _that_. I'm not ready to take that next step yet… I know Yuzu is okay with it, but I'm just not there yet."

"Wait," Orihime said, raising an eyebrow. "Yuzu and Taro are having sex again? Since when?"

"I don't know exactly. You know that she had that break down after the first time. I guess after nine or ten months they decided they were ready to do it again," Karin said, then she sighed. "I guess I'm just not the same."

Orihime reached over, and rested her hand on Karin's. "Don't feel rushed. You'll be ready when you're ready. It's different for everyone. For me, it wasn't until I was seventeen… Of course, I got pregnant after my first time, so I don't think I'm the best example for you to follow."

"Don't worry, I know that whenever I do finally decide to take that next step with Toshiro, I want to be a hundred percent ready," Karin said, a warm smile growing on her face. "It's so great too, because Toshiro's been so supportive of that. He's never pressured me to do more, and that's just another reason why I love him. I feel so safe and comfortable with him."

"I'm really happy to hear that." Orihime said, her eyes going over to the back door when Ichigo poked his head in.

"Are we all done talking about relationship stuff? I would like to come back inside."

Orihime chuckled, and motioned for Ichigo to come inside. "How about we find a movie to watch as a family for when the others come back?"

 **That evening**

"Oh this is so cute." Orihime said, aw-ing at the pop-up carnival that was currently being held in central park, and in a few of the larger parking lots around the park.

"When you said you wanted to go to the park earlier, I almost thought you already knew about this." Ichigo said, as he pushed Mina's stroller.

"I just thought we could go on a walk or something," Orihime said, her smile widening at all the rides and booths around. "This is much more exciting. It's pretty lucky that the carnival came to town on my birthday week."

"We'll take some luck for once, right?" Ichigo asked, smiling as that made Orihime laugh.

Orihime's focus remained on looking on the food booths. "There is so much food here."

"We can have whatever you want." Ichigo told her, kissing her cheek, as they stopped.

Orihime turned to Ichigo. "Why didn't you tell me we were doing this earlier?"

"Because-"

"Surprise!" Tatsuki interrupted Ichigo, as she appeared from behind Orihime. Some of their other friends appearing as well.

Orihime gained the biggest smile on her face, as she threw her arms around her best friend. "Oh my god, you're here!"

"Of course I'm here," Tatsuki said, as she and Orihime pulled back from their hug. "I couldn't miss your birthday."

"You told me that you had exams to study for- and now I realize that was part of the whole surprise factor." Orihime said, noticing how that made the others laugh.

"This is nice." Rukia said from where she had her hand resting on the crook of Renji's elbow.

"I'm surprised they do all this for a pop-up carnival." Rangiku added, also looking around.

Orihime smiled at the sight of their friends, as she turned to kiss Ichigo. "Thank you for this."

"Um excuse me," Tatsuki said, as she waved a hand to get Orihime's attention. "This was mostly my idea."

Ichigo smirked. "No it was not."

"It was too."

"You literally only suggested that we should get together tonight," Ichigo replied, then he motioned to himself. "I was the one who suggested the carnival."

Tatsuki hummed, then shook her head. "I don't think so."

While that made the others laugh, Orihime quickly kissed Ichigo's cheek. "I love you Ichigo. Regardless of who's idea it was officially, thank you all for coming."

"Of course we would be here," Mai said, smiling warmly at Orihime. "It's your birthday. You've been there for all of our birthday's."

"Plus it gives us something to do with the kids too." Hikari said, having been holding onto Emi's hand, as she looked at Mina in her stroller.

"I can second that," Rin agreed, her eyes on Raya, who was over by Karin and Yuzu. "Raya has been talking about this all day, and I can tell she's going to want to do everything."

As the others got distracted by Raya, who had walked over with Karin and Yuzu, Orihime turned to face Tatsuki. "I'm really happy you're here. I needed this."

"There's no place else I'd rather be," Tatsuki said, smiling back at Orihime. "It's not like we need an excuse to see each other or anything like that, I just wanted to give you your space the last few weeks."

"And I appreciate it, but let's not do that anymore. I need you to be available the next time I have a breakdown," Orihime said, as she looped her arm through Tatsuki's. "I think Ichigo needs a break from me every once in a while."

"Don't we all?" Tatsuki joked, grinning as Orihime slapped her shoulder and laughed.

"Hey," Isshin said, as he and Hana walked over. "We don't mind taking the kids home with us after a couple hours. That way you all can stay out as long as you want."

Hana nodded with Isshin. "Yeah, we took my SUV over here, so we have room."

"That'd be great." Kei spoke for Rin, as she was busy leaning over and focusing on Mina in her stroller.

"We would appreciate that." Mai added for her and Hikari.

Ichigo glanced in Orihime's direction, but she was busy talking to their friends. Meeting his dad's eyes, he nodded once. "Yeah that would be great. Thanks dad."

 **Almost two hours later**

Getting off one of the spinning rides, Orihime and Tatsuki laughed as they made their way out of the ride's exit. Orihime finding that the world still spun around her. "I can't see straight."

"Don't worry," Tatsuki said, taking Orihime's hand and leading her over to a small booth. "The cotton candy is right here."

"Of course, the important stuff," Orihime laughed as they got some cotton candy, and started walking past some of the rides. They came to a stop to get in line for the ferris wheel. "I think Ichigo's dad and Hana just left with all the kids."

"Great, so you can stop checking your phone every five seconds for updates," Tatsuki teased, noticing Orihime's face fall for a minute, she frowned. "I was just joking."

"No, no. It's not that," Orihime replied, taking in a long deep breath. "I haven't talked to you much about this, because you aren't really involved in all of the spiritual world stuff. I'm sure Ichigo has talked about you though… I've been depressed for a while now."

Tatsuki was quiet as they got on the ferris wheel, and she turned back to Orihime as they started going around. "He has mentioned that when we've talked to each other."

Orihime sighed as she took a piece of cotton candy. "I'm scared Tatsuki. The first time this stuff with Aizen happened, it was only me. Then last year when I was pregnant it was pretty scary. Then now. Mina's here. She'll be eleven months old next week. Every time I look at her, I feel this deep dark feeling of what could happen to her if we don't figure out what's going on."

"I'm sure everything will work out." Tatsuki replied, noticing that didn't seem to settle Orihime.

Orihime put the cotton candy piece in her melt, and was quiet as she waited for it to dissolve in her mouth, and she swallowed it. "I've just felt like I've had this rock in the pit of my stomach for weeks, and no matter what happens, it's not going away. I have made myself sick with imagining what might happen if we don't get to Aizen or find out how my mom is involved in all of this."

"Have a little bit of faith," Tatsuki said, resting her hand on Orihime's that was on the bar holding them in their seat on the ferris wheel. "I know everything will be fine. You and Ichigo will do whatever it takes to keep Mina safe, and she will be fine. You'll have many years to look forward to her running around, and Bingo too."

"That's all I can hope for."

It was quiet for a moment, as they finished their loops around the ferris wheel and got off. Tatsuki grabbing Orihime's hand, as she pointed across some more food booths. "Oh after we finish this cotton candy, we need to go try some more food."

A smile returned to Orihime's face, as she took another piece of cotton candy. "You don't have to tell me twice."

 **An hour later**

Cringing at the sight of Ichigo and Tatsuki on the slingshot ride, Orihime had to turn away. "That makes me so nervous."

"They'll be fine," Toshiro said from where he was sitting on a bench in front of the ride. Finding amusement at how both Tatsuki and Ichigo had screamed at the top of their lungs after they were slung up into the air. "They may not be able to talk tomorrow, but they'll be physically fine."

Orihime laughed, as she turned to look at Toshiro on the bench. "So where is Karin at?"

"Well she met up with Kimi and they were going on a few rides together," Toshiro replied, then they both watched as Ichigo and Tatsuki were finally about to get off the ride. "I haven't said this yet today officially, but happy birthday."

Sighing heavily, Orihime crossed her arms over her chest. "I guess it's turned into a happy birthday after all."

Toshiro chuckled at her dramatic sigh. "That's usually the goal, right? Or were you planning for a not happy birthday?"

"Well my luck that's how it would usually turned out," Orihime said, then she smiled at the sound of Tatsuki and Ichigo talking about how crazy that was, but it was a lot of fun. "I guess I'm not as unlucky as I thought I was though."

"That's the spirit," Toshiro said, smirking as he glanced to a new text on his phone, and he stood up. "Karin's looking for us. I'm going to go grab her, then we'll be back over here."

"Okay, good luck finding her in this maze." Orihime said, motioning to the several rides and food booths around them.

"That was awesome!" Tatsuki exclaimed, practically jumping up and down.

"I saw that," Akira's voice was heard, as she and their other friends showed up. "That was so wild."

Ichigo walked over to Orihime, and wrapped an arm around her. "So you didn't have a heart attack after all?"

"I almost did," Orihime replied, smiling as she and Ichigo kissed. "But I'm happy that you did it. I certainly don't think I could do that myself, but props to you for being able to."

"You got to take a break for a minute while you waited for us," Ichigo said, his eyes focusing on hers. "Have you had a good birthday so far?"

Smiling at that, Orihime nodded. "I have had a great birthday. Under the circumstances, I thought I would spend the day not doing anything. I didn't even know if I wanted to get out of bed this morning, but you certainly helped with that."

""Well, we couldn't have you staying in bed all day on your birthday," Ichigo said, then he grinned. "We're not that old yet."

Orihime laughed along with him. "I don't know what I would do without you Ichigo," she paused to kiss him. "I love you, and thank you for making my birthday so special."

"You're welcome." Ichigo said, as they kissed again.

"Oh my gosh, I'm going to throw up at how overly adorable you two are being." Akira said, trying to hide her eyes at the two.

"I know we're all pretty much done here. How about we keep this going and go bowling?" Ichigo asked them. "It's late night bowling. They'll be open until one."

Renji, having shared a look with Rukia, nodded once. "We're down."

"I'm down," Tatsuki said, as she smirked. "Since it's dark out they turn the lights down and have kind of like a neon theme going on."

"Oh yeah, all the pins and balls glow and the lanes are all lit up with neon." Akira said with a nod.

"Yes, this is going to be so much fun!" Orihime exclaimed happily.

"I actually have to say no on that one," Karin spoke up, as she smiled sympathetically to Orihime. "My curfew has only been extended until eleven."

Noticing the look of disappointment on Orihime's face, Ichigo cleared his throat. "How about I call dad and see if he would mind you staying out a little bit later?"

Karin raised an eyebrow, but she nodded. "I mean I guess that might work."

"I don't see why it wouldn't," Ichigo said, as he grabbed his phone out of his pocket. "You'll be with us, so it's not like you'll be on your own or off doing something dangerous."

Orihime smirked, as she nudged Ichigo's shoulder. "I don't know… You and Karin bowling against each other is pretty dangerous."

"I second that." Toshiro said, then they all laughed.

They all started making their way to the cars, Ichigo kept his eyes on Orihime. Seeing how incredibly happy was brought a warm feeling to him, as a smile of his own appeared. _I'm so happy that she's happy._

 **A** **few days later, April 7** **th** **in the afternoon**

Sighing as she sat herself back down at her desk, Orihime's focus went back on looking at the information they had collected about her mother. Ichigo had taken both Mina and Bingo out to the park this morning before bringing them over to his dad's, so they could both have the day off. Ichigo chose to spend the day training, and she wanted to stay home and relax. However, her relaxing consisted of pouring over clues about her family.

Her current focus was on the security footage they had of her mother in Rosehaven, and she had a few pictures zoomed in. Her eyes widened as they caught sight on the still of her mother appearing on the security footage they had. The same fiery X tattoo that Ivy had was on her mother's exposed forearm. Staring at it for a long time, she sketched it out on a stray piece of paper. After she finished it, her eyes focused in on the sketch, and her mind drifted off to a memory from long ago.

" _This tattoo still hurts." Ivy said, as she waited for Kurahime to get Orihime out of her car seat._

" _Mine does too," Kurahime agreed, propping Orihime on her hip, as she and Ivy started walking in the grass. "Lucky for us we have higher pain tolerances than most."_

" _That's very true… So I know you and that guy are still seeing each other, right? You know… on the side." Ivy said, her eyes having glanced down to Orihime._

 _Kura chuckled, and waved a hand in Ivy's direction. "Don't worry. She's only three. She won't remember any of this."_

" _Right well, you and that dreamy guy of yours," Ivy said, humming as she wiggled an eyebrow suggestively. "What's the deal there?"_

 _Starting up the small hill, Orihime noticed a small smile growing on her mother's face._

" _It's like a thrill whenever we are together. I feel like we could crush the world together, and stand on top leading millions."_

" _Wow, that's very vivid," Ivy added, sharing a laugh with Kura. Then she sighed and scowled. "Just go live with the guy. He's obviously much better for you than the garbage you currently live with."_

" _Hotoko wouldn't even notice if I go. It's just not in the plan to leave him to go to my mystery guy just yet." Kura replied._

" _Come on Kura, you've basically been faking a marriage to that useless man the last several years. Who cares if he is your son's father?" Ivy countered with a sharp laugh._

" _You're not wrong, that's for sure." Kura shot back._

 _Orihime's focus went away from the conversation, as they topped the small hill. The field of white flowers made her younger self giggle, and she wiggled out of her mom's arms to go run around and play. Blissfully unaware to what else the adults were talking about._

Widening her eyes as the memory faded away, Orihime jumped up from her desk and grabbed her phone. _I can't believe that memory is just now coming to me… I need to go to Rosehaven._ Calling and texting Ichigo a few times to no answer, Orihime sighed as she tried dialing again and was prompted to leave a message for him.

" _Hey Ichigo, it's me. I know you're probably already at training and you'll be busy for the next several hours. I just wanted to let you know that I am going to Rosehaven for a little while. There's something that I have on my mind that I can't shake, and I just want to go check it out. I'll try to call you later, unless you get done first and can call me. I love you."_

Sighing after she ended the message, Orihime slipped her phone in bag, and she went to the front door. She was not really sure what she was going to accomplish by doing this. However, she felt something urging her to go to Rosehaven right then. _I know that everyone else is unsure that digging into my families past won't end up meaning anything. I just can't give it up. Maybe it's just my own curiosity, but I really feel like I need to do this. I need answers._

 **Rosehaven**

Parking her car in a small parking lot towards the Northern edge of town, Orihime got out of her car, and she glanced around the area. Walking out into the grass, she kept on going up the slight incline, and found herself at the top of a small hill. Giving her a view of a field of white flowers. _I'm going in the right direction._ She took a deep breath, and kept on walking through the field of flowers. She was about fifty feet into the forest when she came across a small clearing and a cabin. _This must be it._

The feeling of deja vu hit her as she walked down the path to the cabin, and it was almost beginning to grow unsettling. Stopping a few feet from the door, Orihime closed her eyes and took in a breath. _I know this woman probably doesn't know much about my mother and her crazy habits these days, but back then she probably knew my mother like the back of her hand. I have to find out more about my mother, and I think this woman is the way to do it._ Releasing the breath she had been holding, she stepped forward and knocked onto the door.

A few long seconds passed before the door finally opened. Ivy's face held a little bit of surprise, but she quickly recovered and smiled at Orihime. "Oh hello. I remember you."

"Yes, I'm O-"

"Orihime, right?" Ivy interrupted, her smile continuing, as she opened the door a little wider. "I was wondering if I'd run into you again. You looked like you were on a mission the last time I saw you."

Orihime laughed lightly, as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, I don't know if it was a mission. I hadn't really slept the night before, and I was probably on a mission to get another coffee or some sleep if anything."

It was Ivy's turn to laugh. "So what can I do for you?"

"Oh well after some thinking, I find myself agreeing that it is likely that we were talking about the same Kurahime," Orihime said, trying to be careful with her words to not reveal that it was her mother. "I was hoping we could talk about her more, as I'd like to know more about her."

"Yes, of course. I was just about to pour myself a cup of tea, and I can get you one too," Ivy said, stepping aside and motioning into the house. "Would you like to come in?"

"Yes, thank you," Orihime said, as she walked inside. It was a rather normal looking cabin, but had only a few pictures here and there. "You're home is lovely."

"Thank you. I live a more simplistic life than most, but I do like to have some décor here and there," Ivy said, motioning for Orihime to go further into the living room. "I'm going to get our tea if you want to settle in the living room."

"Sure…" Orihime trailed off, as she walked into the living room and observed the pictures and paintings on the wall. "So that woman—Kurahime—must have been a lot of fun to be friends with."

"Oh she was. We got into a lot of trouble together!" Ivy called from the kitchen.

"Did you two have any more friends?" Orihime asked, noticing a silence after Ivy had not said anymore. Her eyes focusing in on a specific painting above the fireplace.

"It was really just her and I. We had our fair share of men in our lives, but for girlfriends, it was just us. We weren't too social in this town."

Ivy's words from the kitchen had Orihime smiling. _She's making this easy. Already bringing up the people they were dating. This would be a perfect seg_ _w_ _ay into what I want to talk about._ "Do you mind-" Feeling something heavy and large hit the back of her head, Orihime's body went into shock as she fell to the floor. The world around her fell to darkness.

* * *

 **A/N: So… What's going to happen next?**

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	23. Missing

_Review:_

" _Did you two have anymore friends?" Orihime asked, noticing a silence after Ivy had not said anymore. Her eyes focusing in on a specific painting above the fire place._

" _It was really just her and I. We had our fair share of men in our lives, but for girlfriends it was just us. We weren't too social in this town."_

 _Ivy's words from the kitchen had Orihime smiling. She's making this easy. Already bringing up the people they were dating. This would be a perfect seg way into what I want to talk about. "Do you mind-" Feeling something heavy and large hit the back of her head, Orihime's body went into shock as she fell to the floor. The world around her fell to darkness._

* * *

 **Later that evening**

"Alright, we need to wrap it up for the day." Ichigo said, re-sheathing his zanpakuto.

"Already giving up?" Renji countered, grinning as that made Ichigo's eyes roll.

"Absolutely not," Ichigo replied, going back over to his things with the others. "We're just going to pick up where we left off tomorrow."

Rukia nudged Renji's shoulder before he could reply. "We should give Ichigo this break. He obviously needs it."

"Hey!" Ichigo exclaimed, as they all laughed. Picking his phone up out of his bag, his eyebrow raised when he noticed the missed calls and texts from Orihime earlier that day.

Toshiro noticed the frown on Ichigo's face. "Everything okay?"

Ichigo just turned away, as he dialed Orihime's number and held his phone up to his ear. When she didn't answer, his frown deepened, as he listened to the voicemail message she left him. _She went to Rosehaven this morning?_ Checking the time on his phone, his eyebrow raised. _That was over nine hours ago._

"Ichigo?" Rangiku asked when he didn't reply to Toshiro.

"Orihime tried calling me this morning, and I didn't realize it because we went on that quick assignment. Then we started training," Ichigo said, turning back to the others, as he tried calling Orihime again. "She's not answering now."

"She could be sleeping," Rukia offered, glancing at the time on her phone. "It is almost eight."

"Or her phone could be on silent or out of battery." Rangiku added, noticing that didn't stop the look of concern on Ichigo's face.

"She hasn't tried calling or texting me at all the rest of the day," Ichigo said, ignoring the possible explanations his friends tried to give. They started up the stairs, and returned to Urahara's shop. Once in the main room, they were greeted by Urahara, Yoruichi, and Akira. "Hey Akira, have you talked to Orihime today?"

Akira shook her head. "I was busy with my classes in the morning, then I went on a short assignment with Karin. I just got back not long ago. Why?"

"Because-"

The door to Urahara's shop opened, and Isshin walked in with Mina and Bingo on his leash. "Good you're here," Isshin started, as she moved over to Ichigo. "As much as I have enjoyed the day with Mina and Bingo, I've got plans to go over to see Hana tonight."

"Wait Orihime didn't pick them up?" Ichigo asked, an eyebrow raised as he had accepted Mina from his dad. "Have you heard from her at all today?"

Isshin shook his head, an eyebrow raised as he noticed a strange look in his son's eye. "What's going on?"

Ichigo looked back at his phone. "Orihime left me a message this morning saying she was going to Rosehaven to check on something that had been on her mind. However, I haven't heard anything from her since, and apparently, she hasn't gone by to pick up Mina or Bingo. She's not answering her phone."

"Do you think she's still at Rosehaven?" Akira asked, watching Ichigo try to call Orihime again.

"I don't know," Ichigo said, and when Orihime didn't respond to his phone call, he shook his head. "I don't like this."

"It may not be that big of a deal." Rangiku said, noticing how Ichigo's expression showed he was already to the point of not letting any of this go.

"Something's not right," Ichigo said, his eyes leaving his phone to look at his dad. "I can feel it. If she was going to stay at Rosehaven she would have called me or you to check on Mina and Bingo. And if she had come home, she would have gone to pick Mina and Bingo up, or at least called me or you… Something is wrong."

 _ **Earlier that day, Orihime's POV**_

 _Waking up to a throbbing pain coming from the back of her head, Orihime groaned lowly. My head feels like it got slammed into a brick wall. Feeling carpet below her face, she finally forced herself to open her eyes, and she was staring into a fireplace. A fire roaring in it, and she could feel the heat that radiated off the flames like it was wrapping around her body. Trying to move, she found her limbs weren't responding, and she felt almost trapped in her body. Her ears started to pick up on the sound of a voice._

" _She's here… No, you don't need to come. I can bring her to you…"_

 _The voice waved out again, and Orihime felt her head throbbing heavily for a moment. When she was able to focus again, she picked up on the voice._

" _Don't worry about it. I'll take care of everything."_

 _Who is that? Orihime asked herself, unable to recognize the voice, as a strong steady ringing sound had disrupted the voice a little. She attempted to move again, but this time she felt a stinging prick in her arm. She barely glanced up to see a hand administering something in a syringe in her arm. Why?… Her thoughts faded into nothingness, as the world around her fell back to darkness._

 **P** **resent time, Orihime's POV**

Feeling the heaviness that seemed to push her entire body down lift up, Orihime was able to finally urge her eyes to open, and it took several blinks to get them open and able to focus on her surroundings. _What did Ivy dose me with?_

Focusing on the room around her, Orihime was hit with a wave of deja vu at how familiar her surroundings were. The stone ceilings and walls, and the bland décor. She was resting on top of a soft bed that looked as if it would belong to someone wealthy. The one thing she did notice was the chain wrapped around one of her ankles.

Pushing past the continue disorientation as she sat up, Orihime kicked her feet over, and stood up. She found she could walk up to one of the windows, around the room, and was stopped three feet from the door. Returning back to the window, she looked out and the seemingly never-ending white sandy dessert, and the dark night sky. _I'm back in Hueco Mundo… In Las Noches… You've got to be kidding me-_ Her thoughts broke off, as she heard the door open. She turned to look over her shoulder, and her eyes widened at who walked in.

 **Karakura Town**

"Okay," Rukia started, as she, Renji, and Akira walked into Urahara's. "She wasn't at any of our usual food spots."

"Or the unusual food spots." Akira added.

"We didn't have luck with where we checked too." Rangiku agreed, as she and Toshiro walked in.

Toshiro crossed his arms over his chest, and frowned as Ichigo came in. He could already tell from the dejected look on Ichigo's face what his news was.

Sighing heavily as he came to a stop by the others, Ichigo's eyes were focused on the ground. "She's not at our house, and my dad called and said she's not at his either. I've phoned our friends out at Windsworth and Road Island, and she's also not there."

It was quiet for a long moment, then Renji crossed his arms over his chest. "She's still at Rosehaven then. That's the most obvious explanation, right?"

Yoruichi nodded. "There were no reports of any accidents on the roads to and from Rosehaven. She always takes that major road, so someone would have reported an accident if there was one."

"So back to Rosehaven." Rukia said.

Ichigo brought a hand to his face, as he sighed. "I don't understand how this is happening again."

"Again?" Rangiku asked.

"Are you all kidding me?" Ichigo countered as he could see from the others faces they didn't get it. "It was just two and a half years ago that she had gone missing and was with Aizen. Who knows what's happened to her now?"

It was quiet after Ichigo spoke, Toshiro was the first to move as he cleared his throat. "We're going to Rosehaven."

Urahara nodded. "Keep us updated."

Rukia rested her hand on Ichigo's arm before he could move to the door. "What about Mina?"

"My dad brought her and Bingo back to his house. They'll stay there tonight." Ichigo replied, turning and leaving Urahara's. Stopping outside of his car, he closed his eyes and took in a long deep breath. _I don't like this at all. It's been almost an entire half a day since she called and left that message. An almost twelve hours that we have no idea what has been happening…_

 **Las Noches**

Meeting eyes that reflected similar to her own, Orihime crossed her arms over her chest. "Kurahime."

"Is that how you are going to address your mother?" Kurahime replied, a growing smirk on her face. "How disrespectful of you to call me by my first name. I would expect more respect from my daughter."

"You would have it if you deserved it," Orihime countered, trying to toughen up her stance, but she felt like she'd be sick to her stomach any second. "I thought you were dead."

"Because that's what your brother told you," Kurahime said, waving off Orihime's words. "That's what I told him after all… My condolences by the way… Well, I don't really care that he's dead. He took you away from me after all, and led me into a lot of hard work to get you here today."

Her so casually talking about Sora's death had sparked a fire in Orihime. "Sora took me away from you and his father to _protect_ me! You would have killed me if I stayed with you."

Kurahime chuckled as she stepped a little closer. "I notice you said your brother's father. You've finally figured out you don't share the same father."

Orihime nodded slowly. "It took me a while, but you were the one who really told me… Back when I was three and Sora was taking me away, I remember you telling Sora how my father would come after him, not mine and Sora's father. Then I found some documents in the old hospital and it confirmed Sora's father and I don't share the same DNA."

"Really now?"

"Yes _really_. It was in your nature to sleep around apparently."

"Oh how wrong you are," Kurahime replied, a wicked smile on her face. "Don't pretend you know anything about me. Because if you're going off what your brother told you, it's useless. He didn't know anything about me either."

"I don't have to go off Sora's words, as much as I can go off the fact that you weren't in my life, by choice," Orihime shot back, glaring. "You knew I was alive. You knew Sora was alive. If you wanted to be involved in our lives, you could have. But you didn't."

"Let me explain something to you, conceiving Sora was a mistake on my part. I never had any interest in having a child with Hotoko, his father, but mistakes happen. It was always _your_ father that had my affections."

"You married Hotoko though."

"Yes I married that man, but it wasn't because I love him. It was convenient. Just like how it turned out to be more convenient for you to be raised with the impression that Hotoko was your father too," Kurahime replied, then she scowled. "But that bastard son of mine took you away from me, and that screwed up the original plan."

"Don't call him that!" Orihime exclaimed in Sora's defense. "You may not like that he took me away, but he was still your son!"

Kurahime cackled at Orihime's defensive words. "That's the difference between you and I. You have that motherly mindset, but it was something I never cared for."

"Obviously!" Orihime bit back irritably.

"Your father was never really that way either," Kurahime said, chuckling at Orihime's obvious irritation. "But I assume you know that by now."

"I don't know what you are talking about! I have no idea who my father even is!" Orihime exclaimed, her eyes looking out the window at the endless white sandy dessert. A never-ending wasteland.

"But you do, my dearest daughter," Kurahime disagreed, her eyes lighting up. "You very well know your father. He's had an interest in you for years."

Orihime looked away from the window, and met her mother's eyes. A chill ran down her spine, and she felt like the world slowed around her. "He is."

 **Rosehaven, past midnight**

"We've looked all over Rosehaven," Ichigo started, as he tried to keep pace with Toshiro. "Why do you think she'd be randomly on this side of town?"

"Remember? Her mother used to live on this side of town right?" Rangiku countered before Toshiro could speak.

Ichigo scowled. "Yeah, but that's on the other side of the Northern edge of the town. We've never spent more than five minutes in this area."

"There's a reason why I think she might be here," Toshiro said, turning down another street. "She wasn't parked in the usual parking deck, and we couldn't find her anywhere in town. It makes me think she might be here."

"Ichigo, we don't have anything else to go on," Rangiku pointed out as Ichigo looked ready to argue again. "Let's just try this out, and maybe we'll get somewhere."

They had crossed over one last crosswalk, when they finally reached a parking lot at the Northern end of town. Toshiro slowed them down. "This is it."

"Orihime's car!" Ichigo exclaimed, running forward to the familiar red car. "She's been here."

"I'll try calling her phone again," Akira said, dialing Orihime's number, but again they heard no phone buzzing or a ring tone. "Damn."

Toshiro motioned for them to follow him up the small grassy hill, and when they reached the top he nodded. "This way."

"Where are we going?" Rangiku asked.

"Like I said the last time Orihime and I were here, we ran into an older woman who said she lived here. She was the one who used to run with Kurahime's crowd back in the day," Toshiro explained, as they started through a field of white flows that seemed illuminated with the moonlight above them. "There's supposed to be a cabin just beyond the tree line, I believe."

They started into the forest, and Akira scowled as she ran into a spider web. "Who would live out in the middle of a forest on purpose? If I run into another spider web, I'm going to lose it."

"Akira." Rukia said, trying to hold back a chuckle as they finally broke out of the trees to a small clearing. Across the clearing was a small cabin.

"That's it?" Ichigo asked, an eyebrow raised.

"I believe so." Toshiro replied, motioning for them to continue walking forward.

After they walked up to the cabin, Rukia knocked several times on the door. Despite the fact that the lights were on, there were no sounds coming from the cabin.

"No one's answering," Rangiku said, her eyes going to Toshiro. "What should we do now?"

 **Las Noches**

"Say it," Kurahime continued, her amusement written all over her face. "Say his name."

Orihime swallowed the lump in her throat, as she tried to bring herself to speak. "Aizen..."

Kurahime laughed shortly. "Took you long enough."

"Aizen's my father..." Orihime trailed off, the events of the last almost three years circled her mind several times. _Everything that's happened to me and my friends… It's happened because I am Aizen's daughter._

"The shock on your face right now," Kurahime laughed at her daughter's shock again. "I cannot believe you haven't already figured it out. I shouldn't be surprised though. There are a lot of things that practically had to be thrown right in front of your face for you to figure out."

"I don't understand," Orihime said, still completely baffled at what was so appealing about Aizen that her mother would want anything to do with him. "Why him?"

"He was interested in me first actually. My abilities at first caught his eye. My affections came after," Kurahime explained, a satisfied smirk on her face. "I was a shinigami with abilities like no other, and it interested him… When I became pregnant with Sora, I left Aizen's side, as it was not his son. I did not want to have to look him in the eye with the shame of bearing a child that wasn't his."

"Really? That's what you were ashamed of? Not that you were in love with a monster-" Orihime broke off when her mother had crossed the room and slapped her across the face.

"Don't you dare call him that!" Kurahime exclaimed, her eyes menacing, but she clearly tried to compose herself as she took a breath and returned to the opposite side of the room. "Back to Sora and his father. I had come to live in Rosehaven with Sora's father. While he was not my ideal choice, he had a place and something I needed. The fact that he impregnated me with Sora made it easy to work a deal out that I would stay with him. It wasn't until many years later when I came across Aizen again. We fell back in the same place we were before, and sure enough I ended up pregnant again."

Orihime remained silent, as she began to grow more uncomfortable hearing about her mother's past with Aizen.

"I knew right away that Aizen wanted you, as the combination of his powers and mine would be amazing. It would unstoppable," Kurahime laughed shortly at the thought. "It wouldn't be effective until you were older and claimed your powers though. Sora taking you away from me was unplanned, but we were able to work with it. I was never cut out for the whole motherhood thing, and as long as you survived long enough to eventually claim your powers, that's what mattered."

"That's why Aizen waited until I was sixteen to capture me the first time?"

"Yes," Kurahime said, then she scowled. "Of course we didn't expect Ichigo Kurosaki though."

Narrowing her eyes, Orihime sat down so she was settled with her back against the wall below the window. The growing smirk on her mother's face was growing unsettling.

 **Rosehaven, Ivy's Cabin**

"I don't think anyone is actually here." Akira said, after having spent the last few minutes sensing around the cabin for spiritual energy.

"Okay, let's go inside." Renji said, moving over to one of the windows.

"What are you doing?" Rukia asked him.

"Trying to see if one of the windows are open-"

The sound of a loud smash was heard, and eyes went to Ichigo who had barreled his way through the front door. The wooden frame and door splintering as he did. Ichigo glanced back at the others. "Let's go already."

"Or just break the door down." Toshiro murmured, shaking his head as they all went inside after Ichigo, and split up to look in different areas.

Walking around the cabin, Ichigo sighed in frustration as he stopped in front of the fireplace. His eyes going upwards to the painting above it. "Orihime's car is in that parking lot not far away. So she should be here. That's what makes the most logical sense."

Toshiro's eyes went over to Ichigo, as it was just the two of them in the living room area. "Ivy informed us that she lived here, and it was because Orihime wanted to meet with Ivy that she parked all the way over here."

"So you met with some strange woman the last time you two were here, and now Orihime had returned to meet with the woman and is now gone," Ichigo said, his eyes narrowing in Toshiro's direction. "Why in the hell would she be under the impression that it was a good idea to come back here by herself? Did you not advise her that she should bring someone with her if she'd come back."

"I couldn't possibly know she'd try going by herself, Ichigo." Toshiro replied, knowing Ichigo was just worried, and taking his anger out on him.

"I don't get that-"

"Try calling her phone again." Toshiro interrupted Ichigo, noticing he was slowing unraveling, and they needed something to distract him. He watched Ichigo sigh and dial Orihime's number. _This is going to be a rough night if we can't find her. For all we know she's in the forest somewhere-_

The sound of buzzing coming from a desk drawer in the room had them growing silent. Ichigo walked over and with a little bit of effort, broke the lock on the drawer, and opened it. Reaching in, he pulled out a phone. The lock screen showed Mina and Bingo, and he felt his breath catch in his throat. "It's Orihime's phone."

"So we know she was for sure here," Akira said, as she came in from the kitchen. "But there's nothing else here that points to-"

"We found something," Rangiku said, her eyes going from Ichigo to Toshiro. "A portal."

"Like one of our portals?" Toshiro countered, frowning as Rangiku nodded, and they moved to follow her.

Walking into a room down the hall, they found themselves staring a portal. Rangiku motioned to it, where Rukia and Renji had been working on it. "It's been used recently, and they are trying to figure out where it led to last."

Ichigo scowled. "Why bother? I guarantee I know where it leads-"

"Ichigo," Toshiro interrupted, shaking his head. "Don't work yourself up. We need to be keeping a level head."

"Easier said that done." Ichigo murmured, crossing his arms over his chest, as he stared intently at Rukia and Renji.

"Uh-oh." Rukia said, as she stepped back away from the portal.

"What?" Akira asked, looking between Rukia and Renji's faces, an eyebrow raised at the down looks on both their faces.

When nothing was said, Toshiro raised an eyebrow. "Did you figure out where it leads too?"

"Yeah..." Renji trailed off, his eyes went to Ichigo.

"What-" Ichigo broke off as he realized what Renji was trying to tell him. "Oh no."

Rukia sighed heavily, as she glanced to Toshiro. "The last place it went to was Hueco Mundo."

"Specifically, Las Noches." Renji added, the air in the room growing tense, as everyone's eyes went to Ichigo.

 **L** **as Noches**

"Oh that Ichigo Kurosaki and his band of friends spoiled everything," Kurahime said, irritation showing all over her face. "You were finally with Aizen, like you were supposed to be, and then here comes Ichigo Kurosaki to save the day. Aizen did everything he could, coming as far as going to the human world again, but Ichigo Kurosaki ruined that for him."

"Ichigo was protecting me." Orihime defended him.

"That is so pathetic. It's obvious Sora raised you to think like him," Kurahime scoffed, and brought a hand to her chest as she smirked. "If I had raised you, you wouldn't be so pathetic as to rely on a man to protect you."

"I can protect myself!"

"Clearly," Kurahime said, laughing shortly. "The shape Aizen was in when he showed up to my door this time last year was awful. Of course that only told him that he was correct, and our creation was golden. Then, of course, there is the creation you and Ichigo Kurosaki made to think about too."

Orihime's eyes narrowed, and she had to bite her tongue to keep herself from replying.

A knock on the door was heard, then it opened and revealed Ivy on the other side. "Kura we're ready to go."

"Alright, get up and come here." Kurahime ordered her daughter, having to reach over and snatch her by her arm, as she was taking too long. She turned her daughter to the side, so Ivy could have access to her.

"Nice to see you again." Ivy told her smugly, as she started to put chains on Orihime's arms behind her back, as Kurahime worked on getting the chain off of Orihime's ankle.

After feeling Ivy's hands leave hers after the chains were on, Orihime glared at the woman. "You lied to me. You were trying to entrap me."

"Wow, how perceptive of you," Ivy countered, walking out of the room. "If only you would have figured that out before you so blindly walked into my cabin by yourself."

Ivy cackled after they started down the hall, as she clapped her hands together. "Oh this feels too good to be true," she said, a gloating smirk on her face. "I was going to come retrieve you in a few weeks, but then you just walked right on into my house blindly."

Orihime scowled as both her mother and Ivy laughed at that. _They are so happy with the fact that they didn't have to put in the effort to kidnap me. They are absolutely terrible people._

"Aizen was right about her. She's pretty foolish Kura." Ivy said, this time just addressing Kurahime.

"I know," Kurahime agreed, shaking her head in Orihime's direction. "You would think after what's happened to her over the past couple years, she'd learn to not be so trusting of strangers."

Despite trying to remain silent, Orihime glared back at the other two women. "I'm not going to apologize for not walking around thinking everyone around me is evil. That's psychotic."

"Having common sense is psychotic now apparently." Kurahime mocked, as she and Ivy laughed again.

Ivy stopped as they got to an open room, and she remained there. "Have fun."

Orihime kept her face forward, and refused to acknowledge the woman had even spoke to her.

"Thank you Ivy," Kurahime said, offering a short nod to her friend. She guided Orihime forward down the hall on the opposite side of the room, then she hummed. "It's amusing how you completely trusted Ivy when you first met her."

"I didn't completely trust her. She gave me weird vibes-"

"Yet you still went to seek her out again, by _yourself_ ," Kurahime interrupted, laughing shortly at her daughter's words. "She manipulated you easy enough. She recognized you before you introduced yourself. She said my name with the hope that it would get you to open up, and it did."

Remaining silent, Orihime looked away from her mother, as they turned down another hallway.

Smirking at the silence, Kurahime hummed lowly. "It's too bad you didn't bring that daughter of yours with you-"

"Keep Mina out of this-"

"But that's just it, she's in this," Kurahime interrupted, waving a hand as if it was obvious. "Aizen and I knew that with you we created an unstoppable being with our powers combined, but it is your daughter who has even more potential. Aizen was taken down harshly by Ichigo Kurosaki, and again by you last year. A combination of you two? That's just killer."

Orihime growled lowly. "You're after Mina because she's mine and Ichigo's daughter? Not just me?"

"Obviously my dearest daughter," Kurahime shot back, a smirk stretching across her face once again. "That is the plan. It was why Aizen and his arrancars got interested in you again last year. After finding out that you were pregnant and who it was that impregnated you, it motivated Aizen to get to you again. He knew that Ichigo's offspring were going to be strong after their first time fighting with one another, then we knew you would produce powerful offspring. So it was the best of both worlds when you and that pesky fiance of yours had my granddaughter."

Stopping in her tracks, Orihime's eyes narrowed in her mother's direction. The way her mother said 'granddaughter' made her cringe. "Leave Mina and Ichigo out of this."

Laughing shortly at Orihime's words, Kurahime nudged the back of Orihime's feet to move her forward again. "Keep walking."

 **Rosehaven, Ivy's Cabin**

"We need to go to Hueco Mundo," Toshiro said to the phone where Urahara was on the other side. "We don't need to waste any time getting there."

"There is no telling how long Orihime's actually been there." Ichigo added, feeling almost nauseous at the idea.

 _Urahara: "I don't think it's a good idea to go right this second. We need to get back up. We know how much it took for you all to get Orihime back the last time she was taken to Hueco Mundo."_

"Last time we were in Hueco Mundo it was completely different. We're prepared for it this time!" Ichigo exclaimed, his blood starting to boil at the idea of not being able to go because of a stupid regulation to wait for back up.

 _Urahara: "Ichigo-"_

"It is actually really my call, as I am a captain." Toshiro interrupted Urahara.

Ichigo's eyes widened at how Toshiro took charge. _He's not going to take 'no' for an answer._

"I'm confident in the people I have with me," Toshiro continued on, as he turned the phone off speakerphone just in case the conversation took a turn. "If you feel it necessary you can send a backup team if you want."

 _Urahara: "We'll get in touch with Shigekuni and send back up that way when we can."_

"Alright." Toshiro said, ending the phone call, and nodding once in the direction of the others.

"Thank you." Ichigo murmured, feeling relieved that Toshiro had stuck up for them.

Toshiro brought a hand to Ichigo's shoulder. "There was no question that we were going. It was just a matter of informing the others of what was going on."

Ichigo nodded as he closed his eyes. "I'm glad we're on the same page."

"Okay, let's do this." Toshiro said, his focus going back on the others.

"I'll get started on getting the portal up." Renji said, moving over to one side.

"I'll help." Rangiku moved over to the other side, and they started working on it.

Ichigo turned away from them, and looked down at his phone. A picture of himself, Orihime, Mina, and Bingo on Orihime's birthday as the background. His eyes locking into Orihime's grey ones, and it made his heart sink to his stomach. _Please be okay._

 **Las Noches**

"So," Orihime started, after having gone down another hallway. _This place is more of maze than it was last time I was here._ "Why are you all of a sudden back by Aizen's side after being separated for all these years?"

"It's complicated," Kurahime said, noticing that clearly made Orihime scowl, and it only made her smirk. "We've always loved each other, but it was never my place to live here in Las Noches with Aizen. It's just been occasional visits here and there."

"But it is now?!" Orihime asked, completely unsure as to what possible motive they would have to all of a sudden be together after being separated for so long.

"I've been helping him get back his health," Kurahime replied, chuckling at Orihime's look of disbelief. "Are you surprised?"

Scoffing, Orihime looked away from her mother. "Sorry, I guess I just don't see the words 'caring' or 'helpful' when I think of you."

Ignoring the intended insult from her daughter, Kurahime turned them down another hall. "It's been a long process, as you clearly nearly sent Aizen to his death last year. I've had to work hard to get him healed."

"So why are you here now then?"

"I'm here now, because we're in this together, Orihime," Kurahime replied, as she took them onto a much larger hallway. "It was clear that getting you back here would be a struggle. We knew that if you happened to find out about me, it might get you more interested, and make you look into it more. Aizen and I guessed that you would get obsessed the more you found out, and it would lead you to finding out about us… Never in a million years did I think you would basically serve yourself to us on a silver platter by going straight into Ivy's cabin alone."

They stopped at the end of the hall, and Orihime remained quiet as her mother looked at her. Unsure as to why they had stopped, or what the plan was next.

"Go inside." Kurahime instructed, giving Orihime a slight push when she took too long.

Freezing up the second they walked in, Orihime's eyes narrowed as they met another pair of eyes across the room. Her skin crawling and a chill went down her spine.

"Look who it is."

* * *

 **A/N: Who's in the room with Orihime and her mother?**

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	24. Orihime's Strength

_Review:_

" _Go inside." Kurahime instructed, giving Orihime a slight push when she took too long._

 _Freezing up the second they walked in, Orihime's eyes narrowed as they met another pair of eyes across the room. Her skin crawling and a chill went down her spine._

" _Look who it is."_

* * *

 **Rosehaven, Ivy's Cabin**

"This is taking too long!"

"Ichigo," Rangiku said, her eyes leaving the portal to go to him. "This is an unfamiliar portal to us. It's not just going to happen in seconds."

Rukia rested a hand on Ichigo's arm to keep him from replying back. "Ichigo it's normal. Think of if you had to use someone else's computer. You can't just log into their computer with your own password, you need their password. So it's going to take you longer than normal, because you don't know their password. We're having to find another way around it."

Ichigo deadpanned. "You're hacking into a portal?"

"Sure," Rukia said, waving her hand. "It's a bit more complicated than that but sure."

Ichigo sighed heavily, as he leaned back against the wall. His arms crossed over his chest, and he sighed. _What if we get there too late? What if something happens to her?_

"Everything will be fine," Toshiro said, as if he could read Ichigo's thoughts. Rukia and Akira were distracted talking, and Rangiku and Renji were still working on the portal. "Orihime can take care of herself."

Hearing that brought Ichigo back to last year in October. His big fight with Orihime over the issue of him not being honest and trusting her, and it made him smile. "I know she can take care of herself. But if I can be there to support her, then I want to be there."

"We got it!" Renji's voice got their attention, as the portal in front of them lit up.

Walking forward, Ichigo stopped in front of the portal, and looked over to Toshiro. "We're ready?"

Toshiro nodded slowly. "Let's go."

 **The Kurosaki House**

"Oh hey dad," Karin greeted, as she and Yuzu came downstairs to the living room. Both dressed in pajamas, and Karin had her cat, Zorro, in her arms. "We fell asleep watching a movie upstairs, and figured we'd come down here for a post-midnight snack."

"Weren't you supposed to go over to Hana's tonight?" Yuzu asked, as they stopped in the living room.

"Why are Mina and Bingo still here?" Karin added, an eyebrow raised at the strange look on their dad's face.

Isshin was quiet for a long moment, then he sighed. "Girls, sit down."

Yuzu did right away, but Karin remained standing next to the couch. Her eyes on her dad, as she crossed her arms over her chest. "It's happening again, isn't it?"

"Karin," Isshin said, then he sighed and nodded. "Sometime yesterday morning, Orihime went to Rosehaven, and she hasn't been heard from since."

Yuzu noticed the look of worry increase on Karin's face, and she looked to see the same look on her dad's. She didn't know much about what all was really happening with the shinigami stuff. "So did she go somewhere else then? If she's not at Rosehaven, she's somewhere else."

"Yes obviously, Yuzu." Karin shot back, rolling her eyes at her sister's obliviousness.

"Karin," Isshin said, this time with a warning tone in his voice. Shaking his head, he focused back on their conversation. "Ichigo just texted me and said they were going to Hueco Mundo."

"So it's really happening?" Karin asked, however, she didn't wait for an answer, as she scowled. "This sucks."

Yuzu met her dad's eyes. "But Ichigo's going to bring Orihime back home right?"

"That's the plan." Isshin said, noticing the worried looks on both Karin and Yuzu's face. He glanced down at where his granddaughter was sleeping, Bingo not far away. _They'll both come back fine._

Karin had moved over to the front window, and she looked up at the night sky. _Hueco Mundo again, huh?_ Taking out her phone, the conversation between her dad and Yuzu faded to the background, and she scrolled down her contact list until she saw who she was looking for. Looking back up at the sky, she hummed lowly. _It's going to be a fight, that's for sure._

 **Las Noches**

"Aizen," Orihime said, her eyes meeting the dark eyes of the man she thought she'd never have to look at again. Unlike the last time they saw each other, this time Aizen had a different appearance. Dressed mostly in black, which seemed to highlight some of the scars he had over his body. Her eyes specifically went to the cane he was using to walk with. "Oh, you don't look like yourself. Did something happen?"

Aizen scowled at her pointed remark about his appearance, but he put a smirk on his face. "Isn't it nice to be back here? We had such nice times the last time, don't you think?"

Orihime's confident look waived on her face, but she kept her smirk. "He obviously didn't learn much from the last time."

"Oh but I did," Aizen said, his smirk remained on his face. "We're not going to be waiting around for the opportunity for your friends to show up and rescue you. This time, I will be getting what I need from you right away."

"Don't worry about her friends," Kurahime said, smiling warmly towards Aizen. "She left by herself to go up to Rosehaven this morning, and it'll certainly take them a while to figure where she is. She shouldn't have been so foolish."

Aizen shrugged. "Apparently she hasn't learned that much after all."

Orihime glared as both Aizen and her mother laughed. _They are so overly confident… I guess they were right. Somethings don't change, but then again, some things do._

 **Hueco Mundo Desert**

Finally approaching Las Noches, they paused several hundred feet away to try to keep their arrival on the low key. "Okay, so what's the game plan?" Akira asked, once they had stopped.

"Wow, this place has changed a lot." Renji said, all of their eyes were on Las Noches. The whole place clearly had been recently rebuilt, and there was even a new wall around part of the building.

"What else did you expect?" Rukia countered, as they looked to each other. "The last time we were here, we basically destroyed most of Las Noches. It's no wonder they had to rebuild."

"It certainly doesn't feel good being back here." Rangiku said, leaving them in a moment of silence.

Toshiro finally cleared his throat to get their attention. "Alright, it's time for us to get-"

A loud explosion behind them interrupted Toshiro, and they all scattered away from each other. Arrancars and hollows started pouring out of what seemed like thin air.

Ichigo had taken out his zanpakuto, and took out a hollow. His eyes widening at the sudden appearance of the hollows and arrancars. _They were waiting for us._

 **Inside Las Noches**

"Sit."

At Aizen's stern command, Orihime contemplated challenging it, but a loud distant noise caught her ears. _It can't be…_ Trying to fight the smirk that wanted to edge its way on her face, she sat herself down, as her eyes were on Aizen. "Doing some reconstruction?"

"Something like that," Aizen said, resting both hands on top of his cane. "I'm sure Kurahime has already told you a lot of our story, so I won't have to explain much."

Now allowing her smirk to surface, Orihime leaned her head back against the chair. "You've got that right _daddy dearest_."

Her words seemed to bring chuckles from both Aizen and Kurahime, and Aizen tried to move on instead of comment on it. "I knew your mother was special for a long time. We met each other over two hundred years ago."

Orihime's eyes flew to her mother then. "You're a shinigami… You still like your only thirty years old. Shinigami age differently, but they still change. You still look exactly the same."

Kurahime shared a look with Aizen, then she returned her gaze to Orihime. "I don't age. Just like Aizen does not age. It's called soul binding. Once our souls were bound, I have not aged a day."

"That explains a lot..." Orihime trailed off, mumbling under her breath incoherently.

"Over the past three decades, it has been convenient for Kurahime and I to live separate lives," Aizen said, getting back to the topic at hand. "We had things to accomplish separately."

"I've already heard this story." Orihime bit back.

Smirking at her attitude, Aizen clucked his tongue a few times. "Something is different about you each time I see you. The first time you were pathetically naive… Then last year you had a fire about you, and it was intriguing. Then this year, well… I don't know how to describe it."

"I've gone through a lot of changes this past year-"

"Being a new mother does that to you I guess," Aizen interrupted her, finding thrill in how that brought fear in her eyes. "Ah, you've gotten so defensive just now. It's refreshing to know somethings don't change."

Kurahime nodded, as she smirked. "It's a sensitive topic."

Orihime's eyes narrowed in a glare. "You better not go after my daughter."

"Oh that's not right to keep your child away from her grandparents." Aizen bit back, a wicked smile on his face.

"She has the only grandparent she needs. You stay away from her!" Orihime snapped back at him.

Aizen's eyes slid to the other side of the room. "It's not me you need to worry about."

Noticing how Aizen looked in Kurahime's direction, Orihime's eyes widened. "No."

Kurahime waved a hand casually. "As you can see, Aizen's not fully equipped to go back to the human world just yet. I've had no trouble finding my way around your town. Where you live. Where your fiance's family lives. Where his sisters go to school. Where they go to work… The darker haired one, Karin I think, certainly is an interesting being herself. She's pretty special. If you and your daughter turn out to be duds, we might have found ourselves a replacement-"

"Stop talking," Orihime interrupted, her eyes glaring into her mother's. "You're not going to touch them. Any of them!"

"Oh honey, you have no idea," Kurahime said, appearing standing directly in front of Orihime. "You can't stop me."

At how close her mother was to her face, Orihime closed her eyes, and took in a deep breath.

 **Hueco Mundo Desert**

Toshiro finished off an arrancar, and moved onto another. They finally had some backup show up, and they were starting to make a dent in the arrancar and hollow force that opposed them. However, it was clear they were severely outnumbered, and shouldn't be making any mistakes. He found himself approaching Ichigo, as they both were pulled into fighting the same arrancar.

"This is getting out of control!" Ichigo called over, as he sent an attack to the arrancar.

"You're telling me!" Toshiro called back, jumping up in the air to try to get a different perspective on the arrancar.

"We're wasting time-" Ichigo broke off when Toshiro hit the arrancar, and he doubled down with an attack on his own to fully take the arrancar down. As Toshiro dropped back down beside him, Ichigo sighed. "There are so many hollows and arrancars. I don't know how we're going to get them all- Karin?!"

Toshiro's head snapped over to see that an arrancar had gone straight towards them, and in front of them was his black haired girlfriend. Her power created katana pierced through the arrancar, and it was followed shortly with a round energized ball of her power to finish it off. "Karin?"

Finally turning to face them, Karin moved closer. "Dad told us that something happened with Orihime. Then he was on the phone with Urahara and I overheard some things, and long story short, Kimi's dad is a shinigami and had access to a portal. So Kimi and I kind of used it."

"Wait, what do you mean by 'Kimi and I'?" Toshiro countered, his eyes widening as Karin's best friend had taken down a hollow beside them.

"Oh hey there!" Kimi called over, a big grin on her face. "Thought you guys could use some backup! You're welcome!"

Karin, oblivious to the shocked looks on Toshiro and Ichigo's faces, she smiled big. "My best friend is such a badass. I couldn't just leave without her."

Getting over the initial shock of seeing Karin, Ichigo's eyes narrowed. "Are you out of your mind?! This was so incredibly reckless! You two know that this isn't a fun adventure-"

"Obviously!" Karin snapped, interrupting him, as she took down a hollow that came her way. "What about this seems fun to you, Ichigo?!"

"I'm not talking about me, I'm talking about you-"

"Ichigo," Toshiro interrupted, noticing there were more hollows gathering. "I'll keep an eye on them, but right now we have more important things to be doing."

"Um excuse me," Karin said, having heard him say that. "Kimi and I are capable of looking after ourselves, thank you!"

"Yeah!" Kimi exclaimed from where she took down another hollow.

Akira showed up, her eyes widened at the sight of her student and Kimi. "Why are they here?!"

"It doesn't matter-" Toshiro was interrupted, as there was a loud explosion coming from inside Las Noches that got their attention.

"What the hell was that?!" Renji was heard hollering.

Ichigo's eyes widened, as fear went through him. "Orihime!"

 **Inside Las Noches**

"You are _my_ daughter Orihime," Kurahime said, her voice showing she was still standing in front of Orihime. "You have my powers, but I have years and years of experience over you."

"That is what I admire about you Kurahime," Aizen had said, having remained where he was. "It's time we take what we need from her, then we can go retrieve the child-"

Orihime's laughter Aizen's words, and she finally opened her eyes to look directly into her mother's. "You're wrong."

Kurahime smirked at her daughter's words. "No wonder why Aizen saw you as naive when you first met. You have no idea-"

"No," Orihime interrupted her, her eyes held fire. "I was raised by one of the most kindhearted and strongest person I have ever met, and just because you never considered him a worthy son doesn't mean anything coming from a cold-hearted evil bitch like yourself. But I went through hell after Sora was killed, and it wasn't until I found my friends and found Ichigo that I discovered just how strong I had become after everything I went through growing up. I've lost so much growing up, but I've finally found it all again."

Kurahime cackled, and a smirk stretched back over her face. "You put so much value in that relationship of yours. You are foolish! Waiting for a man to come to your rescue-"

"Don't worry. I'm not!" Orihime exclaimed, breaking out of the chains on her wrist, she used her power to send her mother flying across the room and into the wall with a loud bang. Standing up, she used a similar move to knock Aizen off balance too. Picking up his cane, she walked in her mother's direction. "Get up!"

Kurahime was nothing but amused, but she remained where she was. "Oh wow, you actually can stand up for yourself."

"You're damn right I can… You stand there and tell me that you can match me, but you seem to forget a crucial factor," Orihime said, stepping even closer to her mother. "You said it yourself, I have your genes and I have his. I have your powers and I have his… You're not on the same level as me, and you signed the deal yourself!"

"That doesn't mean-"

Orihime's fist crossing her mother's face interrupted her. "You got one thing wrong. I am not your daughter. I am not Aizen's daughter. I don't belong to you."

Kurahime kicked Orihime back away from her, as she straightened up. "Is that so? I don't think you have any idea-"

Catching herself, Orihime threw the cane across the room and she glared at her mother. "You're the one who has no idea," she said, putting up a barrier that would block her mother to the other side of the room. Pulling a soul candy out off her pocket, she popped it in her mouth, and she split. She stepped forward in her shinigami form, just in time to pull her zanpakuto to impale Aizen who had come after her. Blood poured from his chest, as there was shock on his face. She turned to look over her shoulder, as her body was kneeling on the floor. "Tama?"

"Yes Orihime."

Orihime found herself staring eye to eye with herself, as the artificial soul in her body stood up. "Take my body out of Las Noches and to somewhere safe."

"Got it." Tama nodded, taking off around the barrier to leave down the hall.

"No!" Kurahime said at how Orihime had transformed to her shinigami self. Her body getting away. Starting her own power to take down Orihime's barrier, she growled lowly.

Not giving her mother a chance to take her barrier down completely, Orihime summoned her power to her hand, and used the same move that took down Aizen and his arrancars last year. More specifically directing it at Aizen, and she could start to hear him scream. The bright light that overcame them made her have trouble focusing her eyes for a long moment, and she finally noticed movement on the other side of the room. She could see her mother was coughing and escaping down the hall that Tama had gone down in her body.

Orihime caught up with her mother, despite having had a little residual effect from the move she just used. She paused when the floor beneath them shook violently, and she found herself face to face with an unconscious Ivy. She noticed a signature of Tama's defensive move that she used whenever she inhabited Orihime's body. There was a leaf with a circle with a leaf in the center of it, and it symbolized the cage that Tami put Ivy's mind in to leave her unconscious.

Having been so focused on Ivy, Orihime didn't realize the hall around her starting to shake worse than before, as there was a loud bang. Realizing it was about to collapse, Orihime took off down the hall, and just barely made it before the hall behind her collapsed. They were stopped in a big rounded room, and Orihime threw out an electric shock against the carpet below their feet. It was enough to cause her mother to jump up, and there were burns appearing all over her body.

Kurahime snapped her wrist back, and in a split second had thrown out several of the knives in her hand. Smirking big as she noticed that Orihime wasn't able to dodge all of them.

"Uh." Orihime said, her hand going to her side where she felt sharp pain and blood started flowing out of her body.

Kurahime cackled when she noticed her attack had got to Orihime, and noticed her healing. "What's the point of wasting your energy healing now?"

"Oh I still have plenty of energy." Orihime shot back, after grabbing her zanpakuto and sending a windy tunnel her mother's way. It chased her mother down the next hall, and sure enough they found themselves close to the front of Las Noches. Breaking free of the building, Orihime noticed her mother disappeared, and she scowled. However, she took out an arrancar that was going to get Renji, and ran past him to avoid a falling column.

"Uh thanks," Renji said, a smirk on his face at how Orihime's focus was elsewhere. "Nice to see you too. Glad you aren't dead-"

"Renji!" Orihime interrupted him, as she quickly approached him. "Tama is in my body, and I need you to go find her and get her out of the building."

"We got it!" Rangiku said, as she landed next to Renji with a nod, and they went straight into the building.

Orihime had to quickly change her focus back to her mother, as she found herself in the defense position now. Her mother had turned on her and attacked heavily, trying to pressure her against the wall of Las Noches, and Orihime had to call forth a lot of strength to maneuver her way out of the spot she was in.

The two women jumped up to the roof and traded off attacks for a moment. Finding themselves matched to each others abilities here and there. The building shook with Orihime's last attack, and several areas started to crumble. Orihime's eyes darted over to the front of the building, and sighed in relief at the sight of Rangiku and Renji leaving the building with Tama in her body.

The falling building had Kurahime pausing on the rooftop in horror at the centerpiece crumbling. "Aizen!"

"That's funny," Orihime's voice snapped Kurahime to paying attention, and she nearly sliced through her mother with her zanpakuto. She propped it on her shoulder, and smirked in her mother's direction. "You berated me for my love. You talked down my relationship. You said I shouldn't ever depend on a man, but here you are, heartbroken that the monster is finally getting what he deserved."

"I told you not to call him that!" Kurahime shouted back, her eyes lighting up, as she used her power to send fire in Orihime's direction. Her eyes glaring and her cackling laugh seemed to echo. "You're going to regret today."

Narrowly escaping being burnt to a crisp by her mother's attack, Orihime shot back with her shield wrapping around her to keep herself safe from the flames. The second she noticed her mom had stopped the attack, she retaliated with a strong burst of wind to knock her mother off her stance. "Trust me, I will have no regrets!"

That only made Kurahime smirk as she and Orihime exchanged more attacks. Neither seeming to get the upper hand, although Las Noches was turning into piles of stone at this point.

Sending off waves of electric wind in her mother's direction, Orihime found it finally broke away the pieces of the building that her mother had been using for shelter in-between attacks. Preparing to do it a second time, she felt more confident that it would hit the mark.

Kurahime dodged the attack the second time, and took out her zanpakuto. Throwing out a few distraction moves, she used the opportunity to get closer to her daughter, and planned to use force to take her down. As they met with each other up in the air.

Orihime's zanpakuto clashed against her mother's, and this time she sent her power through the blade. After jumping apart, she knew that her mother was distracted after that shock she sent through zanpakuto, and used that moment to use the same attack she used against Aizen just moments ago inside the building.

As the waves from Orihime's attack lessened, Kurahime was noticeably a little disoriented, and new wounds had appeared on her body after having not put her shield up in time.

Glaring from across the building, Orihime knew that with the second blast of that extreme lightning attack that had once injured Aizen and killed so many of his arrancars, her mother was finally at the right state. Re-sheathing her zanpakuto, Orihime took off to meet up with her mother.

Kurahime grunted as Orihime's hands locked onto her shoulders, and she growled. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"I was saving this for Aizen," Orihime said, as she pulled her mother closer, and she started to build up her power. "But it's more fitting for you."

"Don't be so cocky- uh!"

Orihime used the close contact and her hands locking onto Kurahime's shoulders, as a way to release her power into her mother's body. When the move was used with light power it could energize someone. But with the massive amount of power she was releasing, instead of energizing, it was attacking her mother's body from the inside out. She turned them around, and it caused them to free fall.

As they spiraled down to the ground, Orihime's hands remained locked on her mother's shoulders, and Kurahime tried to fight it. The power that Orihime was shooting into her body felt like it was attacking all of her nerves, and numbing her body from head to toe. In an attempt to get free, Kurahime used the last of her strength to pull out a hidden blade, and slung it Orihime's direction. However that only led to another wave of Orihime's power being pushed into her body, and Kurahime screamed at the intense pain.

Crashing into the white sandy desert floor, sand particles flew up into the air around them, and slowly rained down on them. Orihime kept her eyes closed for a long moment, and when she opened them she could see blood mixing in with the white sand below her. There was a large gash on her arm that was dripping blood. She had already started to use her powers to try and heal the wound.

"Orihime!"

Orihime barely heard Ichigo, as her focus remained down on her mother who's bones were crushed. Her blood came from her wounds, and mixed it with the drops of blood that trailed down Orihime's arm. "You miscalculated. You assumed you would be able to take me as if I am your property. You had intentions to take my daughter as if you had the right too. You were wrong. I am strong, and I would have never let you take me. I would never let you take her."

Kurahime spit blood out of her mouth, and growled lowly. "You are weak. You're only strength is depending pathetically on others."

"Unlike you, I don't see that as a weakness," Orihime said, a smile forming on her face. "You'll never be able to touch my daughter or my family. Unlike you, I will do whatever it takes to make sure my daughter is able to live the life she deserves. I will make sure she knows that it is not the blood that runs through her veins that defines her, but it is the people around her that raise her, love her, and make bonds with her, that will define her."

"Oh how touching of you," Kurahime said, blood pouring out of her mouth. "She'll always know where she came from."

"You might be right, and I have no intention of withholding exactly who her maternal grandparents were. But the past doesn't define us. You'll be in the past," Orihime stood up, looking down to watch as her mother was taking her final breaths. "Sora taught me that."

It was quiet for a long moment as her mother finally died, and as soon as Orihime had stepped back, Ichigo appeared by her side. His arms wrapping around her in a hug. Nothing was said for a long moment, as the hugged each other. When Ichigo started to let go, Orihime's hands had gone to stop him.

"No. Just hold me a little bit longer." Orihime said, feeling the warmth return as Ichigo's arms wrapped back around her, and she rested her head on her chest. Her heart racing, and her mind soaring. For the first time in a long time, she felt truly safe.

* * *

 **A/N: It's over… It's finally over.**

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	25. It's Finally Over

_Review:_

 _It was quiet for a long moment as her mother finally died, and as soon as Orihime had stepped back, Ichigo appeared by her side. His arms wrapping around her in a hug. Nothing was said for a long moment, as the hugged each other. When Ichigo started to let go, Orihime's hands had gone to stop him._

" _No. Just hold me a little bit longer." Orihime said, feeling the warmth return as Ichigo's arms wrapped back around her, and she rested her head on her chest. Her heart racing, and her mind soaring. For the first time in a long time, she felt truly safe._

* * *

 **Urahara's, 7 in the morning**

It was quiet as everyone had gathered around Urahara's table. They've only been back in Karakura Town for two hours, as they had to go to Rosehaven first to get the cars. Now everyone was finishing up getting their injuries tended to. Orihime was currently getting patched up on her cheek by Retsu Unohana. It had been rather quiet between them, and Orihime had felt the eyes of the others start to collect on her. But there were only two individuals she was focusing on. The second Retsu stepped away from her face, she turned towards them and glared. "What in the hell were you two thinking?"

Everyone's eyes switched over to Karin and Kimi, who were looking to Orihime with wide eyes.

"It was incredibly reckless to show up there," Orihime continued, her eyes narrowing. "I cannot believe how you two completely overlooked how dangerous showing up there was."

"It wasn't that big of a deal." Kimi said, shrugging her shoulders.

Karin nodded in agreement, as she crossed her arms. "Everyone else was there-"

"I don't give a damn about what everyone else was doing!" Orihime snapped interrupting her, as her glare intensified. "You two are out of your freaking minds showing up there. You knew better."

"Orihime-"

"Karin," Orihime interrupted again. "You especially knew better. You know what happened the last time we were in Hueco Mundo. People died and got so badly injured that they almost died." She scowled and looked to Kimi. "You were supposed to tell Karin that she was out of her mind, and to stay put here in Karakura Town."

Kimi raised an eyebrow and motioned to herself. "Why is it my job to be the responsible one?"

"And why am I all of a sudden the irresponsible one?" Karin added, motioning to Kimi. "She's irresponsible too."

"And Karin is mostly responsible."

Karin's eyes swept to Kimi, as she raised an eyebrow at her words. "What does that mean?"

"What exactly do you mean by irresponsible?" Kimi countered, shaking her head and crossing her arms. "I'm more responsible than you."

"You are not-"

"Oh my god." Toshiro interrupted Karin, slapping a hand to his face.

Ichigo had to hold back laughter, as he motioned to the two. "You two need to get the bigger picture here."

"And that is that neither of you two should have been there today." Orihime added, lessening her glare, as both girls had sighed and nodded.

The doors to Urahara's opened, and in came Isshin. His eyes going straight to Karin and Kimi. "Seriously? I look away for five minutes, and you completely disappeared from the house. Then later I find out that you and Kimi decided it would be a good idea to portal to Hueco Mundo! You two are in a heap of trouble. Kimi we will be taking you home, your parents are pretty angry."

Karin sighed and she waved it off. "Dad, we already got the whole lecture from Orihime. We get it. We won't do it again."

"Probably." Kimi added, noting that received some chuckles from the others, and Toshiro raising an eyebrow.

Orihime stood up and approached Isshin. "I'm sorry that this got so out of hand, and that Karin and Kimi showed up-"

Isshin stepped forward and hugged Orihime, interrupting her words. "Don't apologize. I'm just glad you're okay."

A little bark was heard, before the door opened again and in came Yuzu. Propping Mina on one hip, her other hand was busy trying to hold onto Bingo's leash, as he had wanted to run right over to Ichigo who was on his level since he was sitting down. "Oh, sorry Ichigo."

"It's okay." Ichigo said, having had to dodge Bingo's tongue, and settled for petting him before he stood up.

Orihime accepted Mina from Yuzu, and she turned to Ichigo who had his eyes on Mina too. They both shared a look and smiled at one another, just as Urahara finally entered the room from the back.

It was quiet as everyone's eyes went to Urahara, and he cleared his throat as he sat down at his usual spot at the table. "We got reports back from our teams combing through the remains of Las Noches… It was confirmed that Aizen's body was found. They also retrieved the body of Kurahime… Both confirmed dead, and their bodies are back in the Soul Society."

It was quiet for a long moment, as Orihime's eyes traveled down to Mina. Her beautiful baby girl looked up to her with her bright eyes, and smiled past her pacifier. Without realizing it at first, tears gathered in Orihime's eyes, and she finally allowed herself to cry. She brought a hand to her face, as she felt Ichigo's arms wrap around her.

"Orihime."

Ichigo's voice got Orihime to look up at him, and she just smiled through her tears. "It's over. It's finally over."

 **Orihime and Ichigo's house**

Walking inside, Orihime had to quickly side step to avoid Bingo, who had bolted past her. Barking as he reached one of his favorite toys that was stuck under one of the couches. Smiling big, she set her bag down, and jogged over to get the toy out for him. The second he had it in his mouth, he had jumped up excitedly. His tail wagging a million miles per hour. "Are you so excited to have your toy Bingo? You've been away from it for _so_ long?"

Bingo barked as he ran around the living room to try to keep his toy, as Orihime went after him. Ichigo smirked as he had come upstairs from the garage after Orihime did. Holding Mina in one arm, as she was still a little drowsy from having been sleeping the past hour. _It brings me so much happiness knowing that Orihime is so happy. It feels like this tense air has been lifted now that we know Aizen and Kurahime are no longer lurking around._

"Okay, drop the toy," Orihime said, as she and Bingo were now at the back door. Bingo whined a little. "Bingo that is an indoor toy, not an outdoor one. Drop it."

Bingo hesitated, but finally dropped the toy. He took off outside as soon as Orihime opened the back door. She moved over to the couch that was against the windows that faced the back yard, and she looked out the window to watch Bingo running around. "He's having the time of his life, and acting like he just wasn't on a vacation to your dad's house for the past twenty-four hours."

"Well," Ichigo started, setting Mina down on her play mat on the floor, as he moved over to stand next to Orihime. His eyes watching out the window as well. "I think he just knows it's a special day."

"That it is," Orihime agreed, smiling as they kissed each other. They looked back to watch Bingo through the window. "Honestly, I don't know if I could be happier than I am on this day. Well, obviously when Mina was born. Then when you proposed to me. And when we moved into this house."

Ichigo laughed at how her words were getting away from her. "Don't worry, I know what you meant. This day certainly ranks high up on one of the best days of my life too."

"Bingo's coming back up here, I think," Orihime said, turning to go to the back door, but she froze as she rested a hand on Ichigo's arm. "Ichigo."

Ichigo turned to see Mina was standing up and she was taking a shaky step in their direction. "Oh my god."

Kneeling down with Ichigo, Orihime felt her heart explode with happiness, as Mina took the rest of the steps to reach them. The last foot of space, she stumbled over into Orihime's arms, but that was good enough for her mother. "I can't believe it, she's really walking, Ichigo. She's walking."

Ichigo grinned as he had a hand resting on Mina's back, and he kissed Orihime. "This day really is one of the best days we've ever had now."

"I know," Orihime agreed, smiling as she moved Mina up in her arms a little. Bingo having trotted over from outside, his favorite toy back in his mouth. He dropped it briefly to give Mina a friendly lick, before he got back his toy and settled on part of Mina's play mat. When Mina wiggled out of her arms to go over to Bingo, Orihime was thrilled at Mina's attempt to walk over there instead of crawl. "I'm so proud of her."

Ichigo, who had gone to shut the back door, returned back and wrapped an arm around Orihime's shoulders, as they watched Mina go over to play with her toys next to Bingo. _My family… Our family. This feels so good._

 **The next morning, April 9th**

Putting Mina back in her crib after her bottle, Orihime hovered for a moment. A hand reaching into the crib to gently reassure that Mina remained asleep. After a moment, she pulled back and tip-toed out of the room. Smiling at where Bingo was laying out in the hallway, his limbs spread out, as he was clearly tired. "Come on Bingo."

Orihime's words raised the golden retriever up, as he trotted to keep up with to go down the stairs.

Once downstairs, Orihime went through the routine of letting Bingo out for the first time, and making coffee. She picked up some of Mina and Bingo's toys, and cleaned the kitchen well. Soon enough she was out on the back porch on one of the chairs, her legs curled up under a throw blanket, and a hot cup of coffee in her hands. Surveying their land, there was light fog out, and she could just barely see the forest behind their house. _It's so peaceful out here. I think this is the first time in a long time that I've been able to step out of this house, and not have some fear or worry in the back of my mind._ She took in a deep breath of air, and smiled at the sounds of birds chirping as they started to wake up.

Bingo trotting up the steps to return from the backyard was heard, then he moved over to sit by her feet. A toy keeping him very much entertained.

With the occasional feeling of Bingo's nose nudging her foot to make sure she was still there, Orihime sighed and rested her head back on the chair. _I could get used to this feeling._

 **A** **n hour later**

As Mina had woke up again, Ichigo had been the one to get her, and after feeding her breakfast to her, he joined Orihime out on the porch for their own breakfast. They had begun to discuss the wedding planning Orihime had missed out on, and Mina was now snuggled up against Orihime attempting to fall back to sleep.

"I think the biggest thing that we are supposed to be focusing on is getting my tux and your wedding dress," Ichigo said, having picked up the notebook full of notes he got from the wedding planner over the last few planning sessions. "It's not like we have to have them right now or anything, but we at least need to start the process of looking for what we want."

"I honestly don't have a clue on what kind of dress I want," Orihime said, sighing at the thought. "I'll just have to ask the girls to come with me, and help out."

Ichigo nodded. "Well, as I said, it doesn't have to be right now. We just need to be starting the process soon, as it could take weeks or even months to find the right style. It could take even longer to get anything hemmed if need be."

"More importantly than that. We have our baby girl's first birthday party to plan," Orihime replied, as she looking down at the tired baby in her arms. "It's almost a month away after all. I actually was texting with your sister—Karin—about it last night, and she had some really cute ideas."

"No matter what we decided on, Tatsuki has to be included in the planning," Ichigo smirked at Orihime's raised eyebrow. "She told me that she'll be incredibly upset and offended if she doesn't have a hand in planning her goddaughter's 1st birthday."

Orihime chuckled at the thought. "Okay, I'll make sure I include them in on a group text, and we'll figure it out from there."

"I think we should ask Yuzu if she would mind making a cake for Mina too. Her cakes are always amazing," Ichigo added, then he chuckled. "Of course, it all depends on what kind of mood she's in when I ask. You can never tell with her these days."

"She's fifteen—almost sixteen—Ichigo. She's bound to have some mood changes here and there," Orihime pointed out, but she added Yuzu onto the group text anyways. "I think with the three of them adding their inputs, this will turn out to be a great party."

Ichigo shrugged. "Honestly, the party is more for us adults than Mina anyways though."

"I know that, but I still want it to be a great day for Mina." Orihime replied, as their eyes traveled down to where Mina had finally fallen asleep on Orihime's chest. Big smiles on both of their faces.

 **Dinner that evening**

"Damn, talk about meeting the parents." Karin commented after Orihime had finished speaking.

"Karin." Toshiro murmured, trying to keep the smirk from growing on his face.

"It's alright," Orihime laughed, waving it off. They were seated in a booth at an Italian restaurant called "The Cottage", and she and Ichigo were on a double date with Karin and Toshiro. She grabbed her glass of wine and took a sip. "That was probably the most extreme way to meet the parents actually. Kurahime—my mother—spent some time explaining to me how she and Aizen came to be, and why it was that they were interested in me and Mina. It gave me a lot of answers I have been wondering about for years."

Ichigo shrugged at that, his eyes going to where Mina was currently snacking on some blueberries in her high chair. "I mean I honestly didn't think I left that much of an impression on Aizen for him to care."

"Well you obviously did. It was made very clear that it made Mina more valuable to them, because she was yours and mine," Orihime said, a shiver going down her spine at the word _valuable_. Trying to switch the subject away from Mina, her eyes moved to Karin. "Apparently, even you popped up on their radar."

Karin raised an eyebrow. "Me?"

When Orihime nodded, Toshiro began to notice a strange look in her eye. "I can imagine they were looking into all of Ichigo's family and your friends."

"Well they obviously had interest in everyone, but there was an emphasis on Karin," Orihime explained, noticing that had even Ichigo looking at her with raised eyebrows. "They were interested in the fact that you had powers, and it was strange that they brought up you specifically out of all of our friends and family who also has powers."

Karin broke the silence by laughing, then she smirked. "I just feel _so_ special for being included." That broke the silence between them, as they all laughed. When the laughter died down, Karin changed the subject back to Orihime. "I just can't believe Aizen is your father. The apple certainly fell _far_ away from the tree."

"I know," Orihime said, a short laugh followed. "Honestly, it is kind of funny that everything that's happened in the past few years is because of my family drama."

Both Orihime and Karin started laughing at that, and Ichigo and Toshiro shared a look that didn't find humor in it. Toshiro speaking on that, as he said, "I don't think that's funny."

"Obviously." Karin agreed, but she and Orihime continued laughing.

When their laughter died, Orihime sighed as she looked to Mina. "I think someone needs a diaper change."

"I'll do it." Karin offered, as she stood up and picked Mina up, along with her diaper bag.

After Karin walked towards the bathroom with Mina, Ichigo stood up as well. "I am actually going to get Mina's blanket out of the car. She looks like she is going to fall asleep soon."

Once Ichigo had left the table, Toshiro noticed a deep frown setting on Orihime's face, as she had been focusing down on her plate of half-eaten pasta. Her fork twirling in it aimlessly. "What's on your mind?"

"I know I was just trying to change the subject from Mina, but I wasn't lying about how Aizen and Kurahime brought up Karin." Orihime replied, her eyes finally meeting Toshiro's.

Noticing a sort of seriousness in her eyes, Toshiro raised an eyebrow. "What did they say?"

Taking a moment to recall the memory more clearly, Orihime took a deep breath and released. "It was more or less Kurahime saying these things, but she was talking about how special Karin was."

"I know… You already said that-"

"No, Toshiro she emphasized how _special_ Karin was," Orihime interrupted him, pausing to wait for a waitress to walk past, before continuing. "Kurahime made a comment that if Mina and I ended up not working out for them, they could easily have Karin as a replacement."

That seemed to hit a note with Toshiro, as his frown matched the growing one on Orihime's face. "That is strange… Did they say anything else?"

Orihime shook her head, and noticed out of the corner of her eye that Ichigo had re-entered the restaurant. "Obviously it doesn't matter anymore because Aizen and Kurahime are both dead. I just needed to put it out there, because I thought it was strange that they'd be so interested in her… Anyway, I don't think we should bring those specifics up to Ichigo or Karin, I just wanted to let you know."

As Ichigo returned to the table, Toshiro nodded briefly to Orihime, then focused down on taking another bite of food.

"Did you bring all of her stuff in here Ichigo?" Orihime asked at the things Ichigo was holding.

Ichigo laughed, as he settled the stuff on the bench between him and Orihime. "Honestly, I didn't know what she'd want, so I figured it'd be better to be prepared."

"Okay," Karin's voice was heard, as she returned with Mina. "She's getting a little fussy, so she probably is tired-"

"That's what I said," Ichigo said, as he reached to accept Mina from Karin. He settled her against his chest, and wrapped her blanket around her and offered her a stuffed animal of hers he brought in for her. He glanced down at his food. "I guess I'll just get the rest of this to go."

"I don't mind holding her." Orihime offered, as she motioned to her pasta. "I probably won't be able to eat all of this right now anyway."

"No, it's alright, I don't mind," Ichigo said, as his eyes moved from Mina to across the table at Karin and Toshiro. "Well I was going to suggest we go out and do something after dinner, but with Mina already falling asleep, I don't think that's going to happen."

Orihime nodded, as she smiled at their baby girl's sleepy face. "Yeah, our evenings usually are spent with us just in our pajamas by seven p.m., and watching TV or movies."

That noticeably brought smiles to both Karin and Toshiro's face, as they shared a look with each other. Karin laughing after a moment. "But like same though."

Toshiro chuckled at the raised eyebrows from Orihime and Ichigo. "That's usually what happens with us too."

"Except we don't have a baby as an excuse," Karin further explained, laughing again. "We're just not that exciting on purpose apparently."

That brought them all to laughing, and when their laughter settled, Ichigo shrugged. "Maybe we can go back to mine and Orihime's house to watch a movie then?"

After sharing a look with Karin, Toshiro nodded. "Sure, that sounds good to us."

"Well, I can't drive." Orihime said, grabbing her wine glass, and drinking down the rest.

Ichigo chuckled at her finishing her wine. "Okay then."

"Oh," Orihime said, as she picked up her phone. "I should text Yuzu. I think she's about to get off work, and maybe she and Taro would like to join us."

"I mean you can ask, but I don't think they'll want to. They lead much more exciting lives," Karin said, chuckling at that. "They have plans to go to a party tonight."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "I definitely heard her tell dad that she was going to bed early- and now that I am saying that, I realize that she was lying."

"Obviously." Karin shot back.

Orihime shook her head, as she set her phone back down. "I just can't see Yuzu sneaking out of the house to go to a party."

"I know," Ichigo agreed, adjusting Mina a bit, then he glanced to Karin. "I'm pretty sure we all thought that was going to be you."

Karin shrugged, twisting her fork to get a little bit more pasta on it. "I just don't find the whole surrounded by drunk strangers atmosphere enjoyable."

Toshiro laughed, a smirk settling onto his face. "You don't like to be surrounded by anyone. Strangers or friends. Sober or not."

"You're not wrong." Karin said, grinning at Toshiro's words.

Meanwhile, Orihime held a slight look of concern in her eyes, as she looked to her phone. "I hope Yuzu will be okay."

"Don't worry," Karin reassured. "She's done this plenty of times- not that you heard that from me or anything."

"Wait you've known she's been doing this?" Ichigo asked.

"Yeah," Karin replied, a smirk settling back on her face. "Doesn't it feel good to be on the inside for once? You can't go telling dad now though."

"Why the hell not?"

Karin scowled and pointed her fork at Ichigo. "You know Ichigo, Yuzu and I don't ever tell you anything, because of that exact reason. Don't make me regret giving you this knowledge."

That brought laughter from Orihime and Toshiro, Ichigo rolled his eyes, and looked around for the waitress. "We need get the check, so we can leave."

 **Later that night**

Opening the dresser drawer, Orihime picked out a onesie for Mina to sleep in, as she balanced holding Mina in her other arm. "Mina you are very wiggly tonight," she told her, laughing at how she had to readjust again to keep Mina from wiggling out of her arms. "I hope this is not you trying to tell me that you're not going to be going to sleep tonight."

Mina giggled back at Orihime, as the water was heard turning off from the other room. "Orihime!"

Ichigo's voice had Orihime resting Mina's outfit for the night on the changing table, before she left with Mina to go to the bathroom. Once in there, she had to step over Bingo who was busy working on one of his toys on the rug in the bathroom. "Okay Mina, it's bath time."

Ichigo watched as Orihime undressed Mina. "She's got a lot of energy."

"I know. I'm kind of getting the feeling she might not go to sleep so easily tonight," Orihime said, as she finished undressing Mina, but she hesitated at the sight of the bathtub. It was the first time they were letting Mina take a bath without the help of the assistance of the baby bather they had been using. "Are we sure the water isn't too high for her?"

Ichigo glanced at the bathtub, then back at Orihime. "It's only a few inches high. It's the right temperature. I don't think we have anything to worry about… We'll be here the entire time. I know it's new, but everything will be fine. If she doesn't like it, then we can just put the bather back in here, and try again tomorrow night."

Taking in a deep breath, Orihime knelt down, and gently put Mina so she was sitting in the bath water. Keeping her hand resting on her back, she watched intently for Mina' reaction to having much more room than she was used to while taking a bath. It took a moment of Mina exploring the fact that she had so much freedom, before she finally giggled as she played with the water. Visibly relaxing, Orihime smiled at how Mina seemed to like this. "Okay, this is going a lot smoother than I anticipated."

"I would have to agree with you on that one," Ichigo said, focusing on Mina as she played with her bath toys a little, then he glanced to Orihime, who had slowly started the process of getting Mina's upper half wet so they could start to actually bathe her. "Tonight ended up being a pretty fun night."

"I know, I was glad we finally got around to watching that movie," Orihime agreed, a smile returning to her face, as she grabbed the baby soap. "It was nice that we got to spend some time with Toshiro and Karin too."

Ichigo chuckled. "I never thought I would be voluntarily going on a double date with my sister and her boyfriend."

"That doesn't seem as unbelievable to me," Orihime said, laughing as well. "What's unbelievable is that her boyfriend is Toshiro, and you went on a double date with them both."

"Don't ever tell anyone I said this, but he's not that bad of a guy. I am pretty sure that's only because he is dating my sister, but still. He's not that bad," Ichigo said, his eyes meeting Orihime's. "Don't tell anyone I said that."

Orihime made a cross-motion over her chest. "I won't tell. Cross my heart."

Laughing at her over-dramatic tone, Ichigo was interrupted by Bingo all of a sudden jumping up with his front paws reaching over the edge of the bathtub. "Bingo!"

Mina's attention went to the golden retriever, and she touched one of his paws. "Bingo."

"Yes Bingo," Orihime said, as Ichigo had to push lightly back on Bingo's chest to get Bingo to put his paws back on the rug. She smiled at the golden retriever. "This bath is not for you."

"Although he certainly could use one," Ichigo said, grabbing Bingo's toy to throw it out in the hall, and keep Bingo distracted for a moment. He smirked at how that had got the golden retriever to run out into the hall. His eyes focused in on Orihime. "Maybe we could get a bath of our own."

Orihime smiled, as she started to rinse the soap off of Mina. "That would be nice as long as we could get this one to go to sleep."

"I've got a plan," Ichigo said, filling up a water pail to help in getting some of the soap off of Mina. "After this, we are going to go downstairs and let Bingo run around the backyard for a bit, then we are going to let Mina run around the living room for a little bit. Then we are going to hopefully see that they both get tired, and go to sleep with no problems. Then you and I are going to open up that bottle of wine, and have a nice bath."

"That sounds wonderful." Orihime said, pausing in reaching for the baby shampoo, so she and Ichigo could kiss. A loud splash sound was heard, getting both their attention, and they found Bingo had returned to the bathtub and the front half of his body was currently in the tub next to Mina, who was giggling away at the golden retriever.

"Bingo!" Ichigo exclaimed, but both he and Orihime both laughed. The clueless golden retriever, just remained where he was, as his tail wagged furiously. "I know we talked about you getting a bath, but you need to wait your turn."

Orihime laughed as Ichigo worked on getting Bingo's upper half back out of the bathtub, and she just looked to Mina who was all giggles. _I love our little family._

* * *

 **A/N: It's finally over Aizen and Kurahime(Orihime's mother) are officially dead, and they are finally free to live their lives. I think my favorite scenes this chapter was the last scene and Mina's walking for the first time scene. What was your favorite?**

 **Don't forget to review, favorite, and share this story with others. Also be sure to check out my other stories.**

 **Be sure to like my page (Ruby1235 Fanfiction) on Facebook and follow me on twitter ( Ruby1235Fanfic) for updates, sneak peeks, and hints for current and new stories :)**


	26. Mina's First Birthday

_Review:_

" _That sounds wonderful." Orihime said, pausing in reaching for the baby shampoo, so she and Ichigo could kiss. A loud splash sound was heard, getting both their attention, and they found Bingo had returned to the bathtub and the front half of his body was currently in the tub next to Mina, who was giggling away at the golden retriever._

" _Bingo!" Ichigo exclaimed, but both he and Orihime both laughed. The clueless golden retriever, just remained where he was, as his tail wagged furiously. "I know we talked about you getting a bath, but you need to wait your turn."_

 _Orihime laughed as Ichigo worked on getting Bingo's upper half back out of the bathtub, and she just looked to Mina who was all giggles. I love our little family._

* * *

 **Almost three weeks later, April 28th**

"Oh I can't believe he's already one," Orihime gushed, as she and Ichigo were currently face timing Kira and Ryuu, who were holding up Hiroko to the camera. "It feels like the last year just flew by so quickly."

They all laughed at that, and Kira settled Hiroko back on her lap. "You're telling me. I still remember how much effort it took to get him here. I feel like I was just in the hospital meeting him for the first time, and it makes me cry like all the time."

"Yes, all the time." Ryuu agreed, making them all laugh again.

Kira focused back on the camera. "You two seem to be doing well. It feels like I can actually feel the happiness radiating off the two of you, and it's so nice. I feel like the last time we talked you two seemed kind of down."

Orihime and Ichigo shared a look, as they both know that the last time they talked last month, they had a lot of stuff going on. Finally, Orihime broke eye contact with Ichigo, as she smiled at Kira and Ryuu. "Well, the last few weeks have been great."

"We're both just really happy." Ichigo agreed, once again sharing a smile with Orihime.

Hiroko started to fuss, as he wiggled off of Kira's laugh to go walk over to his toys. Which had Kira all smiles. "I can't believe he's walking. He's been doing it for the past month and a half, but it's still so crazy to see."

"Mina's only been walking for a few weeks, but she's taking on the world now," Ichigo said, his eyes going over the phone to see where Mina was currently walking across the living room to grab one of her toys that had rolled over there. "As amazing as it is, there is also a whole new world of fear that she's going to injure herself now."

"That's true, but that's just a part of life," Ryuu said, his eyes going to Kira, as he smirked. "Hiroko fell the other day, and had a little tiny scratch on his cheek. Kira cried more than he did."

"I just don't want to see my baby hurt, thank you," Kira shot back, shaking her head at how that made Ryuu laugh. Her eye focused back on Orihime and Ichigo. "This is kind of just another reminder of how long we've known each other. We met each other February last year, and it doesn't feel like it's been that long."

"I know," Orihime said, chuckling at the thought. "Our entire friend group went through a lot of changes this past year. Speaking of, have Michi and Hayate made any more decisions on their wedding."

"Not really. They both think they want to have it this upcoming January, but that's not for certain yet. They want to have it up in the Northern mountains with all the snow." Kira replied.

"That would be fun," Ichigo said, petting Bingo when he came over for some attention. "The weddings we've gone to lately have all been around the same time of year, and it's usually the same concept."

"You know what though," Kira said, her eyes twinkling. "I'm excited about your wedding. It's going to be so much fun."

"Well we certainly hope so," Orihime said, as they all laughed. Mina walked over, reaching up for Orihime as she started to fuss, and Orihime picked her up. "As much as I hate to, I think we're going to have to go. Mina needs to go down for her nap."

"Hiroko probably is going to be wanting his nap too soon," Ryuu said, as Kira had got up to go over to pick up Hiroko. "It was nice getting to chat with you two though."

"It was man, and we're sorry we can't make it for Hiroko's actual birthday party," Ichigo apologized, having taking over holding the phone as Orihime was more focused on Mina now. "We've just got a busy next few days."

"No worries," Ryuu replied, as Kira had returned back to look at the phone with Hiroko in her arms. "We'll talk to you guys later."

"Alright, happy birthday Hiroko." Orihime replied, a smile at the sight of the little baby boy on the phone. When they finally ended the facetime, she sighed and stood up from the couch with Mina. Trying to soothe her, as she walked around a bit.

Ichigo sighed as he put the phone down, and leaned back on the couch. Watching Orihime walk around with Mina. "I'm surprised she's lasted this long without going down for her nap. She usually is like a clock."

"She definitely was fighting sleep that's for sure," Orihime said, finally feeling light Mina was settling down, she moved to the stairs. "I'm going to go put Mina upstairs in her crib."

Ichigo turned the TV off, and got up. "I'll start cleaning up around here for when Tatsuki and Karin get here."

"Spray some air freshener, and light a candle. With it having been raining so much, I feel like our house smells like wet dog," Orihime's voice carried over from the stairs. "We also need to give Bingo a bath at some point."

"I'll get right on that!" Ichigo called back, as he started collecting Mina's toys from all of the floor. _We might need more than just air freshener and a candle, this place could use a serious deep clean._

 **Almost two hours later**

"Okay, so I think we've got a general idea of what we want for Mina's birthday," Tatsuki said, as she looked at the list that was between her and Karin. "We can all agree that it's mostly for the adults, as there will be only three kids there."

"Even so, I think we need to have some things for the kids to have fun doing," Karin said, humming in thought. "Raya and Emi both love crafts, so we can just get some stuff for them to do. I'm sure Mina would love them too."

"What about one of those cute little ball pits?" Tatsuki asked, her eyes on her phone, as she was looking for more ideas. "You can basically buy it anywhere, and it should be entertaining for the kids."

Karin frowned when Bingo had nosed his way under her hand for some attention. "What if Bingo tries to swallow the balls from the pit though?"

"He's got enough toys to distract himself with. Besides even if he did happen to get a hold of one of them, I think he might just crush it. I don't think he would swallow it."

Karin wrote the idea down on their list. "Okay, well we should get some extra ones just in case some of them do get destroyed. We can just order those online when we order some of the other decorations later."

It got quiet after Karin stopped talking, as she and Tatsuki looked across the table in Orihime and Ichigo's direction. Ichigo smirked back at them, as he motioned to himself and Orihime. "Oh is it our turn to give input on our daughter's party?"

"I mean it's not really necessary," Karin said with a shrug. "We've got it basically completely covered."

Tatsuki nodded in agreement with Karin. "Yeah, you guys don't really need to do anything."

"Except pay for the entire circus that you two have planned." Ichigo countered, rolling his eyes at how Karin and Tatsuki both nodded back at him.

Orihime chuckled, as she rested her hand on top of Ichigo's. "I think what Ichigo is trying to say is that we thank you both very much for helping us with this. We really appreciate it."

"You're welcome." Tatsuki and Karin chorused.

Glancing at the time on her phone, Orihime stood up from the table. "Well, Mina's bound to be waking up any minute now. I think I'm going to go grab an early glass of wine."

"Oh me too." Tatsuki jumped up to follow Orihime into the kitchen, a big grin on her face.

Ichigo scowled in their direction, more specifically in Tatsuki's. "Tatsuki, don't drink too much, because I am not planning on driving you all the way back to your apartment at two in the morning. You'll just have to stay here."

"You make that sound like it's a punishment." Tatsuki shot back.

Grumbling under his breath, Ichigo sighed. "It is."

Karin chuckled at her brother's annoyance, as she got up from the table. "Toshiro is coming by to pick me up any minute, so I'm going to go ahead and get my stuff together. If there are any changes you and Orihime want to make, just let us know on the group text."

"Uh thanks for your help," Ichigo said, his eyes following Bingo who was busy circling Karin, as she was putting her jacket on. "I know you've had a lot going on."

"Between school, work, and training, it kind of feels like I haven't stopped and taken a break in a while," Karin said, chuckling as she finished with her jacket. "I don't mind it though. I like to stay busy. However, I don't think I'll be keeping up with this busy schedule next year."

"You're going to try to do more Somi work so you won't have to work at the gym next year?" Ichigo asked, when she nodded, he smirked. "You'll probably have more fun doing that anyways. It'll pay more, and you might have more free time."

"That's the idea," Karin said, her eyes going down to her phone. "Yuzu wanted to be here today too, but she had to work. She did say that she'll make Mina's birthday cake and some more desserts for the party."

"Alright." Ichigo said, his eyes leaving Karin, who had gone to say goodbye to Orihime and Tatsuki, as Toshiro had apparently arrived outside. His own eyes went down to the list that Orihime had been making of their plans for Mina's birthday. A smile started upon his face, as he found himself imagining the day. _I can't believe in another couple weeks, Mina will be one._

 **Two weeks later, May 11** **th**

"This is too much," Ichigo said, pulling uncomfortably at the tux he was wearing. Staring it himself in the mirror, he scowled. "Why does this have to be so difficult?"

"Well, at least this one was easier for you to put on." Hikari pointed out from where he and some of the others were sitting on some couches.

"Yeah, that last one took you nearly thirty minutes." Renji added, one of the few that was not sitting around, and was busy looking around the place to try to find something entertaining.

Ichigo glanced over to the others. "I know I've already said this, but I appreciate you all coming out for this. I obviously have no idea what I'm doing."

"Clearly," a feminine voice was heard, before Tatsuki walked in. Her eyes taking Ichigo in, before she smirked. "Please tell me that's not what you're going to wear."

At her smirk, Ichigo scowled and motioned to the rack of tuxes that the person who worked at the store had pulled out for him to try ton. "No, but I had to start somewhere. I don't know what I'm doing."

"Obviously." Tatsuki replied, chuckling again at the tux that Ichigo was wearing.

"You don't have to be so snarky about it," Ichigo shot back, crossing his arms as he watched Tatsuki go to the rack to look through it. "Where have you been? You were supposed to be here half an hour ago?"

"I've been with Orihime. I had to take a break after what seemed like the hundredth dress she tried on," Tatsuki shot back, pulling a tux off the rack, and shoving it into Ichigo's hands. "Put this one on."

After Ichigo had gone back behind a screen to change, Uryu pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, and focused on Tatsuki. "You don't seem like the type to care about clothes, but yet you have interest in what Ichigo is supposed to wear?"

"I don't actually care," Tatsuki replied, leaning against one of the tables. "But I know Orihime's preferences, and what will compliment whatever dress she eventually decides on. We wouldn't dare give Ichigo actual creative control on his tux."

Ichigo poked his head out from behind the changing screen. "I'll have you know that I helped plan a lot of our wedding."

"Sure you did."

Narrowing his eyes at her, Ichigo scowled and focused back on changing. "Does Orihime know what dress she wants to get?"

"I don't know," Tatsuki replied, smirking as she heard Ichigo cursing as he was changing. "I had to take a break to come over here to help you, as clearly the people you brought with you are not helpful at all."

While some of the others protested that grumbles under their breath or eye rolls, Toshiro eyed Tatsuki. "I resent that."

Smirking at Toshiro's words, Tatsuki crossed her arms over her chest. "Okay, everyone except for Toshiro… Although he clearly wasn't doing a good job in helping, because he let you put on that monstrosity that you were wearing when I came in."

"I'm mainly here because we have plans to spar afterwards." Toshiro countered, as Hikari had walked away to take a phone call from Mai. Being one of the only ones who didn't know of the shinigami world, they were able to talk more freely about it when he or Mai weren't around.

"Thanks a lot," Ichigo said, finally coming out from behind the screen, and back over to the mirror. Adjusting the sleeves a little, he eyed his appearance closely in the mirror. "So, what's the verdict?"

Studying Ichigo for a long moment, Tatsuki approached, and straightened out some of the tux. Giving it one last glance over, she nodded once. "That's the one."

"Really?" Ichigo asked, fidgeting with it a little bit more. "Are you sure about-"

"Don't argue with me," Tatsuki interrupted him, slapping a hand to his back. "Buy the damn tux."

 **At the Falcon's Pub**

"Okay, this has been the longest day of my entire life." Orihime complained, as she propped her head up with her hand. Grabbing a french fry from her plate, she ate it, and sighed. "I don't want to look at another wedding dress ever again."

"That's kind of unfortunate," Akira said, a big grin on her face. "Considering the fact that you haven't picked on yet, and you kind of need one for your wedding."

"Do you think jeans and t-shirt would be acceptable?" Orihime countered, then she waved a hand. "Never mind, I wouldn't want to wear jeans on purpose. I'd just stick with leggings."

"I would be okay with that," Rukia said, motioning to the leggings she was wearing. "Karin—Ichigo's sister—turned me onto leggings, and now they are the only thing I want to wear ever. We can just make everyone wear leggings instead of dresses."

Mai laughed, as she rested a hand on Orihime's shoulder. "We'll definitely consider that option, but don't give up on finding a dress just yet. Maybe if you try again in a month or so, they'll come out with new styles that you might like better."

Rin nodded in agreement with Mai. "Plenty of my friends who have got married are all over the place when it comes to finding wedding dresses. Some find them on the first day, and some take months to find them. That's probably why your wedding planner suggested you start looking around early."

"I just was hoping it wouldn't take months," Orihime said, sighing heavily. "I wanted to just go out and find it right away. I don't want to have to keep doing this for months."

Akira raised a hand. "I second that. Being in wedding dress shops makes me want to die a little bit."

While the others laughed, Rangiku smirked at Akira. "You didn't seem to be upset at the last one when they were serving champagne."

"You're not wrong." Akira agreed.

The door to the bar was heard opening, and in came Tatsuki. As soon as she got to the table, she scowled. "I am so glad we are eating something, because I am about to starve to death. If I had to go to one more wedding dress shop without eating, I probably would end up killing someone."

"I ordered you the usual, wings and fries." Akira told her, eating on her own fries, as she motioned for the food waiting for Tatsuki on the table.

After biting into one of the wings, Tatsuki hummed happily. "This is so freaking good right now."

Orihime looked to Tatsuki curiously. "So did Ichigo manage to pick out his tuxedo?"

"Yes," Tatsuki said, chewing the food in her mouth, before she continued. "Only because I picked it out for him though. You should have seen the disaster he was wearing when I first got there."

Orihime chuckled, as she glanced down at a text on her phone. "By the way, I invited Hana to come and meet up with us. She's just getting off the morning shift at the hospital. She might have some new ideas."

"That was nice of you to invite her." Mai said.

"Well I like here for one thing," Orihime started, as she picked up another fry. "And who knows? She and Isshin could be having a wedding of their own with how well their relationship is going right now. I want to include her if I can. I would have invited Yuzu and Karin too, but they just have so much going on today."

The waitress came by their table, and Tatsuki held up a hand. "Can I get a beer?"

"I second that." Akira added.

"Sure," the waitress said, her eyes sweeping the table. "Anyone else?"

It was quiet for a moment, then Orihime nodded. "Yeah, I would like one as well."

 **That evening, 5 p.m.**

Ichigo raised an eyebrow when he heard noise coming from the front porch. It was just him and Bingo downstairs, as Mina was upstairs taking a nap. Almost a little suspicious at first, he slowly stood up and peeked over to the door. However, as he did that, he could just barely hear Orihime cursing on the other side of the front door. Walking over, he unlocked it, and opened it to see on the other side. He smirked at her. "Can I help you?"

A big smile grew on Orihime's face, as she stepped closer. "I was just looking for my fiance actually."

"Well you've found him," Ichigo said, chuckling as he stepped aside to let her inside. He watched her go inside with a little bit of unsteadiness, and his smirk returned. "You've been drinking."

"A little bit."

"How did you get home?"

"Hana gave me a ride."

Hearing that, Ichigo turned and walked onto the front porch. Looking around the house at the part of the driveway he could see, he could see Hana's car was parked, and she was looking up at the house. He gave her a wave to signal that she was okay to leave, and he watched her wave back and start to drive down the long driveway to leave. Going back inside, he raised an eyebrow at Orihime taking off her shoes in the middle of the hallway.

Orihime was sighing, as she started on her jacket next. Trying to avoid stepping on a very excited Bingo that was circling her feet. "Hana was the only one of us who was actually able to drive so..."

Ichigo trailed behind Orihime, picking up her shoes, her purse, and finally her jacket. Setting them on one of the bar stools, he followed Orihime into the living room space. "We really need to do something for her and my dad. They've helped us out a lot the past two months. Well, my dad's helped out us out for much longer, but still, we need to do something for both of them."

"We can send them on a cruise," Orihime suggested, falling over the arm of one of the couches, and laying down. "Somewhere tropical."

Unable to help but laugh at Orihime's actions, Ichigo more calmly sat down next to her. "Did you end up picking out a dress?"

"No… I tried, I really did. But I kind of just gave up after lunch."

Raising an eyebrow, Ichigo looked down at the time on his phone. "That was four hours ago."

Orihime laughed. "We had a couple of drinks at lunch, then the next dress shop we went to had champagne. Then it went downhill from there."

"That explains a lot," Ichigo chuckled, resting a hand on her back. "Well, you'll find a dress eventually."

"It's so unfair that you've already found your tuxedo though," Orihime mumbled, enjoying the feeling of his hand gently rubbing her back. "Tatsuki said that if she didn't help you out, it would have been a disaster."

Ichigo's eye twitched hearing that. "I think that was really her over-exaggerating a little bit… Anyway, Mina's birthday is in two days, and we have to buy some of the last minute stuff."

"We have people for that."

"Yes my sisters and Tatsuki are helping, but we have to actually do some of it ourselves."

"I can't go anywhere right now."

Ichigo laughed at her 'matter of fact' tone. "I'm aware. I meant like go tomorrow and do that stuff," he said, noticing that Orihime nodded her head a little at that. "Okay, I think it's time we get you upstairs."

Orihime groaned, and pressed her face against the couch. "I don't want to get up."

"Yeah well our daughter's about to wake up from a nap, and I have to start dinner," Ichigo said, standing up from the couch. "It's the perfect time for you to go upstairs, take a shower, and try to sober up a little bit."

"Stairs." Was all Orihime mumbled, as she remained where she was.

"I've got you covered." Ichigo said, leaning over and picking her up bridal style.

Orihime smiled, as she settled comfortably in his arms. "This would be a lot more exciting if we were both going to be naked."

Ichigo laughed and started to the stairs. "Okay then. Let's just get you upstairs for that shower."

 **A couple of days later, May 13th, Mina's Birthday**

Mina's little cries from the baby monitor woke Orihime and Ichigo, but Ichigo was the first to slip out of bed. "I'll get her."

Orihime nodded, yawned, and she stretched out a bit. Smiling at how Bingo had eagerly jumped off the bed to go after Ichigo. She could hear Ichigo talking to Mina through the baby monitor, and it brought a smile to her face as Mina's cries softened to coos.

A few minutes later, Ichigo returned to the bedroom. This time with Mina in his arms. He walked over to the bed, waited for Bingo to jump up, before getting back in bed himself. "She just needed a change, she'll probably need some breakfast soon though."

"I think I will too," Orihime said, smiling as Ichigo had set Mina between them, and she tickled her daughter's stomach. "Happy 1st birthday baby girl."

Mina just giggled at the tickles, and enjoyed the attention both her parents were giving her.

"You know she was holding onto that bear when I walked in there," Ichigo said, also holding a smile on his face as his daughter's laughter was like music to his ears. "The one we got her at the New Years festival when you were pregnant with her."

Orihime laughed. "Yeah I remember. She has barely touched that thing at all, but it seems like these last few days she will throw a fit if that bear is not in her crib with her."

"It's funny how she's all of a sudden attached to it," Ichigo said, sharing a smile with Orihime, as they looked onto Mina. "This past year has gone by so quickly. There were so many nights in the beginning that felt like they went on forever, because we were both going off of barely two hours of sleep each night. However, it's amazing because, in a blink of our eye, we're here on her first birthday."

"Honestly though, it's been the best year of my life," Orihime said, smiling as Bingo had pushed his way closer, and nudged at Mina's feet. "Yes it's sad to think about how quickly she's going to grow up, but being able to watch her hit all these milestones is so worth it. Her starting to talk, eating solid food, crawling, and walking… I will remember those moments forever."

"This was the year for change that's for sure," Ichigo said, his smile softening. "We found out a lot about your family tree this year."

Orihime nodded, and let her head rest back on her pillow. She remained quiet for a moment, then she sighed. "I've been thinking about it. Even though Aizen and Kurahime were my biological parents, that doesn't say anything about me as a person. The only thing that matters to me is that I was blessed to have the opportunity to be Sora's sister. That's something that I will never take for granted… If anything, this year taught me how important family is. Your family has been so accepting of me. I feel so much closer to Rin's family too. It feels like they've become part of my family too."

"On another note, I felt the same way with Mai, Hikari, and Emi," Ichigo said, his hand going to Mina's back to keep her from falling back after she had leaned away from Bingo's nose. "Mai and Hikari helped us out a lot when you were pregnant and gave us so much advice. I feel like they kind of became family too… Honestly, I think we owe a lot of our lives to Mina. If she wasn't here, our lives would be very different."

"That's very true..." Orihime trailed off, as she watched Mina playing with Bingo. Then she raised an eyebrow, as Mina got distracted as she had turned to Ichigo.

"Dada."

Ichigo's eyes widened, as he brought his hands to Mina. "Yes Mina, I'm dada," he said, laughing as she giggled, and he felt a stinging in his eyes. "I've been waiting to hear that."

Orihime smiled and reached over for one of Ichigo's hands. "I told you that she'd get it eventually."

 **That afternoon**

"They did a great job." Ichigo said, as he threw away some of the plates and napkins left over from lunch. Mina's birthday party was in full swing, and a majority of the guests were out in the backyard or on the back porch now.

"We definitely need to thank them when they came back in," Orihime said, eyeing what was leftover from lunch. Tatsuki and Ichigo's sisters had come up with a barbecue style lunch for the adults, and the kids had a cute little buffet bar of snack foods. "Yeah, lunch was delicious too."

"I think I'm mostly looking forward to the cake that Yuzu made though." Ichigo said, eyeing the birthday cake that they had yet to cut into.

Orihime smiled as she noticed where Ichigo's eyes were focused. "She made it triple chocolate just for you apparently. On Mina's birthday."

"Trust me, Mina is going to love it," Ichigo said, waving off Orihime's smirk. "She's my daughter, so chocolate should basically be her middle name."

The others started coming back in then, Raya and Emi racing inside right over to the ball pit that was centered in the living room. Mina was much slower, as she was holding onto her grandpa Isshin's hand. However, once she was back inside the house, she let go of his hand to go straight over to Orihime and Ichigo. Her hands stretched upwards towards them.

Ichigo had leaned down to scoop Mina up, and Orihime smiled at her. "We were wondering when you'd give us some of your attention. You've barely looked our way since everyone started arriving here."

"She just likes all the attention." Ichigo said.

"Do you want all the attention?" Orihime asked Mina, tickling her belly a little to get her to laugh.

"Mama." Mina said, wiggling so she could switch from Ichigo to Orihime's arms.

"That's right, I'm mama," Orihime said, adjusting Mina, as she pointed to Ichigo. "And who's this?"

"Dada." Mina said, now reaching back over to Ichigo.

"That's right," Ichigo said, chuckling as he accepted Mina back. Walking her over to the living room, he set her down in the ball pit to play alongside Raya and Emi. "So I would say the ball pit is a success."

"Of course it is." Karin said from where she was sitting on one of the couches with Toshiro.

The focus went to Mina, who was busy learning how to toss the balls up in the air from Emi and Raya. One of the balls she threw landed outside the ball pit. Bingo sneaked around the legs of some of the people in the living room, and grabbed the ball in his mouth. Trotting over to the ball pit where Mina had her hand outstretched, he set the ball back in the pit for her.

Mina's face lit up, as she pet Bingo's face. "Bingo."

There was a ton of aw-ing from the people in the room at that moment, and then some laughing and hollering from the kids.

"They are full of energy," Isshin noted, as he sat down next to Hana on a couch. Raya and Emi chasing each other around the living room had got their focus. "We haven't even had cake yet."

"Don't worry," Tatsuki said, waving it off. "Karin has plans to run around with them outside, and hopefully that'll tire them out."

"We'll be sure to leave you two in charge of that," Orihime said, smirking at her best friend. "I have a feeling that after I eat that cake, I'm going to want to take a nap."

"Same here," Ichigo agreed, his eyes swept around the kitchen and living room that was full of their family and friends. Then back to his daughter, who was enjoying the ball pit now with Bingo, whose front half was now in the ball pit as well. Finally, his eyes landed on Orihime, and he wrapped an arm around her. "I'd say this was a pretty successful birthday party."

"I'd have to agree with you there," Orihime said, her eyes meeting his, as she smiled. "This has been a great year… I love you Ichigo."

"I love you too," Ichigo said, kissing her once, and when their kiss broke, his smile widened. "Here's to many more."

* * *

 **A/N: I really enjoyed writing this chapter, and the next few chapters are almost bittersweet to write. The end of this story is coming soon, and I can't wait to share it with you all. What was your favorite scene this chapter?**

 **Don't forget to review, favorite, and share this story with others. Also be sure to check out my other stories.**

 **Be sure to like my page (Ruby1235 Fanfiction) on Facebook and follow me on twitter ( Ruby1235Fanfic) for updates, sneak peeks, and hints for current and new stories :)**


	27. Yes To The Dress

_Review:_

" _Same here," Ichigo agreed, his eyes swept around the kitchen and living room that was full of their family and friends. Then back to his daughter, who was enjoying the ball pit now with Bingo, whose front half was now in the ball pit as well. Finally, his eyes landed on Orihime, and he wrapped an arm around her. "I'd say this was a pretty successful birthday party."_

" _I'd have to agree with you there," Orihime said, her eyes meeting his, as she smiled. "This has been a great year… I love you Ichigo."_

" _I love you too," Ichigo said, kissing her once, and when their kiss broke, his smile widened. "Here's to many more."_

* * *

 **Three weeks later, June 5th**

Taking in the vibrant green trees that seemed to stretch on for miles, Orihime smiled as the mountain air soothed all of her sense. Resting her elbows on the railing in front of her, she felt like she could stay there all day.

"It's so nice out today."

Ichigo's voice caught Orihime's ears, as he came to stand beside her. Both their eyes remained on the view of the mountains in the distance, and the trees all around them. The distant sound of running water from the river that flowed around two hundred feet below them on the mountain. "Honestly, I think we should get some deck chairs. If we come up here during the Summer, it'd be nice to get some sun. I could imagine myself laying out here for hours, enjoying the mountains and the warm Summer air."

"That's a great idea," Ichigo said, although the grin on his face and the mischievous look in his eyes contradicted his words. "It'd be just as great as the wild tan lines you'd receive from all the shadows from the trees that would be created out here."

Orihime laughed as she imagined it. "You're not wrong..." She trailed off for a moment, admiring the view some more. "I can't believe this actually happened. Your dad buying this cabin."

"I'm glad it did," Ichigo said, his eyes meeting hers. "The fact that it's the same cabin we stayed in with our friends last November just makes it even better. This place was what inspired the whole idea of buying a family cabin."

"Okay, Mina's freshly changed," Isshin's voice was heard, as he and Hana came from inside. He was typing something on his phone, and Hana had been the one who was holding Mina in her arms. Putting his phone back in his pocket, Isshin smiled at Orihime and Ichigo. "It's official. All the paperwork has been signed, and we have the keys."

"That was quicker than I thought it would be." Orihime said, her eyes taking in the cabin in a new light.

"Well to be fair, a lot of the negotiations and contracts were laid out over the phone before today," Isshin said, his eyes taking in the view from the back deck. "This was a great idea you two."

"Orihime should get credit for the idea," Ichigo said, smiling in her direction. "The last time we were here, she had brought up how nice it would be to have a place up here. Somewhere we could go with our family and friends."

"This would be a nice weekend getaway spot." Hana agreed, her eyes meeting Isshin's as they smiled. Mina started to wiggle around to be let down, and she knelt down to put her on the ground.

Almost as soon as Hana let go of Mina, she took off across the deck, and Ichigo was quick to snatch her back up before she could get to the railing. Staring intently at the railing, he hummed lowly. "That's a little unsettling that it seems like she could just fit right through the gaps in the railing."

"Maybe until she gets bigger, we could get something to wrap around the railing to block the gaps," Isshin said, then a smirk appeared on his face. "Of course, I would like some more grandchildren, so maybe I should find a more permanent solution."

Orihime laughed at that, but Ichigo rolled his eyes and sighed. "Real subtle dad."

Isshin chuckled. "I do have three kids, so it's not entirely on you two. However, it would be ideal that my other two kids don't have any of their own kids anytime soon."

"Maybe Rin and Kei will have more kids once they get married," Hana suggested, a warm smile on her face. "That's probably the closest thing to having another kid around that we're going to get."

"You're not wrong there," Orihime said, her eyes focusing down on her phone, as she got a text from Yuzu. It was of a painting she had been working on. "Oh Yuzu's been painting a lot today. She just sent me a preview of her latest piece."

"Oh let me see," Hana said, as she looked over to the photo on Orihime's phone. "Wow, that's so pretty."

"Since the girls seem more inclined to talk to you than their own father," Isshin started, a smirk on his face. "Does it seem like they are enjoying their programs this year?"

Laughing at how Isshin said that, Orihime nodded. "They both seem like they are enjoying themselves. Karin's been taking a break from her music and sharing a lot of photos on Instagram."

"I know, that's what I've been looking forward to whenever I have a break when I'm at work." Hana said, pulling up her Instagram to look for updates as they spoke.

Orihime was busy chuckling as her thoughts went to her white-haired best friend. "I'm pretty sure it's slowly killing Toshiro that she's so far away."

Hana raised an eyebrow. "But he's got enough to keep himself busy with him being a shinigami captain, right?"

"Yeah, but I think that they both got comfortable with seeing each other so often. This is their first real lengthy amount of time not seeing each other."

Ichigo smirked at Orihime's words. "They will see each other in fifteen days. They'll be okay."

"Okay, not to change the subject," Isshin started, his eyes leaving his phone to look up at the sky. "We've got a few hours of sunlight left, and I think we should use this time to go out and buy some stuff for the cabin. While I got to work out a deal that we could keep most of the furnishing in the cabin that was already there, there are still some things that we need to get."

"Oh, and I have some ideas to revamp some of the rooms, because they look like they could need it," Hana added, her eyes going to Orihime. "Would you like to help me with that?"

As Orihime nodded, Isshin eyes went to Ichigo. "While they do that, you and I can take care of some of the bigger pieces of furniture."

"I like this idea," Hana agreed, before she went to get Mina from Ichigo. "We'll take this little princess with us."

Orihime and Hana walked through the cabin to come out in the front, and once at the car, the had to stop to put Mina in her car seat first. Orihime sighing as she let her eyes focus back on the cabin itself. "I wish we could have brought Bingo with us."

"He can come along next time," Hana said, finishing strapping Mina in, then she and Orihime got in the car themselves. "I'm sure he's enjoying spending time with Mai and her family… I highly doubt Zorro is having as much fun though."

Smirking at the idea of Karin's cat having to dodge Bingo and Emi the entire time they were gone, Orihime chuckled as she backed them out of the driveway to start driving down the mountain. "Who's watching your cat?"

"My neighbor," Hana said, sighing at the thought. "It was nice of Mai to offer to watch her, but I just didn't think it was a good idea. She hasn't met Bingo or Zorro yet, and I think that it would be better if they were slowly introduced rather than just throwing them all together in one house."

"I'm sure they'll all become friends whenever they do meet." Orihime encouraged, her ears picking up on Mina's chattering gibberish, and she smiled and at a stop sign, turned on Mina's children's playlist on Spotify. Even though it would take them another ten minutes before getting into town, she thought it'd make the car ride smoother if Mina was distracted by her music. _I love this small town, and I'm so excited to share it with my daughter and Hana. You never know what you'll find here._

 **A couple of hours later**

Having put the last of their décor purchases in the car, Orihime and Hana ventured into the town again. This time with the intention just to look around, as Mina was fast asleep in the stroller.

"So that was Isshin," Hana said, as she had got off the phone. "He said that he and Ichigo were back at the cabin now, and they were overseeing the delivery trucks for the bigger pieces of furniture."

"Well we probably won't be much longer here," Orihime said, her eyes going down to the stroller. "I just want Mina to get as much of a nap in as she can, before I have to wake her up to put her in the car."

As they walked down the sidewalk, Hana was taking in the shops they were passing. "This is such a cute little town. It's so different than Karakura Town… I thought Rosehaven was a small town, but Wayhurst definitely has it beat."

"This atmosphere is so refreshing too." Orihime said, pausing in walking, when she noticed Hana had paused.

"Is that the glass shop where Toshiro got Karin that cute little glass horse from?" Hana asked, pointing across the street.

"Yes, and just a few stores down from that one is the woodworking shop, and that's where she got his chess board made," Orihime said, then she motioned a couple of stores down from the glass shop. "However, I think the best place here is the sweets shop. They have the most heavenly treats, and we definitely need to make sure we stop there before we go back. Oh and then the candle shop is right next to us on this side of the street- no, we don't need to go in there, because I don't have self-control."

Hana chuckled. "Well, I mean we could use some candles for the cabin."

"Don't tempt me." Orihime said, as they both laughed. They continued down the sidewalk, passing a few stores, but she found herself stopping in front of a small one towards the end of the street. The display in the window had caught her eye, and she had to do a double take.

"Orihime?" Hana questioned noticing Orihime had stopped again. Walking back over, Hana turned to the shop, and focused on what Orihime was staring at. It was a wedding dress. It was strapless with a sweetheart neckline, the top of the dress was covered in white fabric flowers, that seemed to trickle there way down the skirt of the dress. The skirt itself had several layers of tulle that fluffed out the dress, and it had silver glitter accents all over the dress. "Want to try it on?"

"What? No… Maybe," Orihime said, her hand going to the window. The dress seemed too fancy for her, but at the same time she found herself wanting to try it on anyways. "Do you mind?"

"No, of course not," Rin said, already going to the door to open it for Orihime to push Mina's stroller in. "You have to try it on."

Twenty minutes later, Orihime slid back the curtain she had been changing behind, and walked into the showroom where Hana was with Mina. Nervousness hit her hard, as she felt Hana's eyes going to her. She averted her eyes quickly, as she walked over to the big mirror. When she finally made herself look, her eyes widened, and she took it in.

Hana appeared, as she looked Orihime over. "That dress looks like it was made for you."

"I actually think so too," Orihime said, smiling as she turned and looked over shoulder at the back of the dress. Walking over to her bag, she pulled out her phone, and dialed Tatsuki's phone number for a facetime. "I'm calling Tatsuki."

"Here let me hold it," Hana said, motioning for Orihime to hand over the phone, just as it connected. "Hello Tatsuki."

Tatsuki laughed. "Hi Hana, I was expecting Orihime."

"She was the one who called, I'm just holding the phone." Hana explained with a smile.

"Okay Tatsuki," Orihime started, as she moved away from Hana and the phone to give enough distance. "We're up in Wayhurst still, and we came across this shop. There was this wedding dress in the window that caught my eye, and I tried it on. Now you have to give me your opinion."

Hana flipped the camera around, as she held the phone up in Orihime's direction.

Tatsuki immediately gasped at the sight of Orihime in the dress. "Oh my god, yes. That's the one, hands down… Like I'm actually about to cry, you look so beautiful."

"Don't start crying, because then I'll start crying and won't be able to stop," Orihime said, her hand trailing down the dress to the skirt, as she looked to the phone. "I've tried on what seems like hundreds of dresses, and this is the first one that I've really loved."

"It seems to fit you pretty well." Hana said, getting a little closer with the phone, so Tatsuki could see more details.

Orihime looked down at the length of the dress. "I'm wearing flats now so it probably seems a little too long, but I'll probably wear heels at the wedding."

"Just not too high, okay?" Tatsuki countered, a smirk on her face. "You would fall and break your neck in like five seconds."

That had Orihime and Hana both laughing, and Orihime accepted the phone from Hana so she could look at Tatsuki. "You're not wrong."

"Uh, damn it," Tatsuki cursed, as she was distracted by something off-screen. "As much as I hate to, I have to go. I'm already cutting it close to being late for work, and I think my boss has already had it with me coming in late."

"Gee, I wonder why your boss would be annoyed with that," Orihime countered, smiling as that made Tatsuki laugh. "Have fun at work."

"We'll see," Tatsuki said, before she pointed to Orihime. "You better buy that dress. It's the one, and you're not allowed to change your mind."

"Okay, I will. Bye." Orihime said, hanging up the phone with Tatsuki. Her eyes went back to the mirror, and she smiled big. The dress seeming to look even better with the approval of her best friend.

The woman who owned the shop came in, and she smiled warmly at Orihime. "Now that just looks amazing on you."

"I have a question," Hana said to the woman, before Orihime could speak. "How are you on making any adjustments? Or is that something we need to take somewhere else?"

"Oh we have an excellent seamstress who works on our dresses."

"Well Orihime," Hana said, motioning in Orihime's direction. "Doesn't live in the area. She lives down in Karakura, and it's about a four-hour drive. If she were to get it done up her, how would we go about getting the dress sent down to Karakura? Is it something we'd need to come and pick up ourselves? If it is estimated to take a long time to get it hemmed, should we consider taking the dress with us now, and having it adjusted somewhere closer to where we live?"

"Oh that won't be necessary, unless you feel uncomfortable leaving it here for us to work on," the woman replied calmly to all of Hana's questions. "Our seamstress just finished up the last dress on her schedule and will have plenty of time to work on this one. We can also ship the dress down to Karakura once it's done, and if she were to try it on and be unhappy with anything, we'll have it express shipped back to us to fix anything."

"I'm just mostly concerned about shipping. I wouldn't want the dress to get ruined in transit."

Orihime watched on through the mirror of Hana asking all these questions, and it made her smile. Her eyes focused back on the mirror, and she kept taking in the dress.

"Orihime." Hana's voice got her attention, as she was motioning for Orihime to come over.

The other woman was smiling again. "We'll go ahead and work on seeing what adjustments need to be made on the dress. Do you know the probable height of the shoe you're going to be wearing? Also what size are you?"

"Um, I probably won't be wearing anything over two inches. I am pretty clumsy," Orihime said, laughing a little. "As for my shoe size, I am a seven."

"Alright, well I will go get my seamstress, and some sample shoes for you to wear while we get your adjustments." the woman said, turning to leave the showroom.

After the woman walked out, Hana offered Orihime a smile. "I'm sorry about all the questions. They all just came out of nowhere."

"No don't apologize. I actually really appreciate it," Orihime said, her eyes going down to Mina, who was still fast asleep in her stroller. "I'm not really used to someone doing that kind of stuff for me. I mean, Tatsuki was as close as it got, but I mean it's different. I didn't have parents growing up, only my older brother. It's kind of nice having someone looking out for me."

Hana smiled warmly, as she reached out and gave Orihime's hand a squeeze. "I'll happily do that for you."

 **A** **n hour and a half later**

Parking the car in the driveway, Orihime smiled at the sound of Mina babbling away in her car seat. "She's been so talkative on this car ride back."

"Yes she has," Hana said, having spent a lot of the ride focusing back on Mina. "It probably has to do with that little bit of fudge she got back in the sweets shop."

"Shhh," Orihime said, as she and Hana laughed. Getting out of the car, she went to get Mina out of her car seat, just as the front door of the cabin opened. Out came Isshin and Ichigo. "Hey guys."

"Hey," Isshin said, reaching the car first, and he kissed Hana in greeting. "We thought we were going to have to send a search party for you two."

That had Orihime glancing at the sky that was almost transitioned fully over tonight, as the sunset was almost over. "Yeah, I guess we ended up being gone longer than we expected."

"To make up for it we got some fudge from that sweets shop." Hana added, meeting Orihime in the front of the car to accept Mina from her.

Ichigo laughed. "Heck yeah, that place is amazing."

"I got some pecans too, because I thought you might like them." Hana told Isshin with a smile.

"I'm looking forward to trying them."

"Whoa," Ichigo said, having opened the trunk of the car. He raised an eyebrow at all the bags. "No wonder you were gone forever, you two bought practically everything in town."

"We can probably get it all in a couple of trips, then we need to get something for dinner," Hana said, as she grabbed a few bags with her free hand and had Mina propped on her hip on her other side. "I'm starving."

"Way ahead of you on that one. We've got Italian inside." Isshin said, having grabbed some bags from the trunk of the car as well. He walked inside with Hana and Mina.

"So was that chocolate I saw on Mina's face?" Ichigo asked, as Orihime had walked back around to the trunk of the car as well. At the smile on her face, he laughed. "Okay, we do want her to go to sleep tonight, you know that right?"

Orihime smiled, as she leaned against the car for a moment. "She had been so fussy since waking up from her nap, and I felt bad because we were taking so long. So when we went to the sweets shop, I couldn't help but let her taste test the fudge. But don't worry, it was only a little bit of one."

Chuckling at her making a motion to the tiny gap she was making with her fingers, Ichigo leaned over and kissed her. "You can stay up with her until two o'clock in the morning then."

"Okay, as long as you agree to drive us home tomorrow." Orihime replied, smiling as they kissed again. When their kiss broke, she chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Ichigo asked, noticing her bright smile.

"Okay," Orihime said, moving so she could sit on the trunk of the car next to where Ichigo was. "The reason why it took us so long wasn't because we were shopping. Well technically we were shopping, but it was just one big thing that took over an hour to do."

Raising an eyebrow at her lack of specifics, Ichigo nudged her shoulder. "What big thing would that be?"

"My wedding dress," Orihime said, noticing Ichigo's eyes widen a little, she smiled big. "It's not like I was actively looking for one at the moment, but we came across a store, and I saw the dress from the window display… We went in and I tried it on, and it was perfect. I've spent so long trying to find the right dress, and then I just happen to walk past this shop and look at the window display."

"I love how you've spent so much time actively looking for a wedding dress, and the one time you aren't actively looking, you find the one."

"I know," Orihime said, laughing as she rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm so happy with it too… Tatsuki approved it as well, so I can't go back and change my mind, even if I wanted to."

Ichigo was the one to laugh now. "Same here. The other day I just casually mentioned concern on how I got my tux so early, and it was taking you more time. She practically all but threatened to break me into pieces if I was trying to change my mind on the tux I bought."

"That's Tatsuki for you." Orihime said, laughing along with Ichigo now.

"Hey!" Isshin's voice was heard from the open front door of the cabin. A smirk on his face. "Are you two planning on coming inside for dinner?"

"Uh yeah," Ichigo said, as he and Orihime stood up and started to grab some bags. "Maybe we will need to make a second trip."

"Oh be careful with that one. It has the fudge in it." Orihime said, taking one of the bags from Ichigo.

"Yes, protect the fudge over the glass- Hey are those candles?" Ichigo asked, noticing how that had Orihime hurriedly high-tailing it to the cabin. "Orihime?"

"I don't know what you're talking about! It was Hana's idea, not mine!"

Chuckling at Orihime's exclamation, Ichigo closed the trunk. _I'll just get the rest of this stuff after dinner._ The sound of Orihime and Hana talking about the candles from inside the house and their laughter that followed, brought a smile to his face. _I'm glad Orihime finally found her dress. I can't wait to see her in it. Hopefully, these next two months go by quickly._

 **A** **n hour later**

Grabbing some beers out of the refrigerator, Ichigo started back to the living room. Having spent the past hour setting out some of the décor that Orihime and Hana bought, they were now settled down for the night to watch a movie. _It's unfortunate that Orihime and I will be driving home in a couple of days, but my dad and Hana will be up here for a week. They'll get to enjoy this amazing cabin for the whole week. Maybe I can convince Orihime to drive back up here in a few weeks for a vacation of our own._

"Thank you Ichigo." Hana thanked as Ichigo handed over a couple of beers for Hana and his dad. Then he joined Orihime on the other couch, and handed her beer to her.

"Look Ichigo," Orihime said, motioning to her phone where she was face-timing Mai. The focus was currently on Bingo and Zorro. "Thanks again for watching the furbabies Mai."

"Oh, it's no trouble. Emi loves having Bingo in the house to run around with," Mai replied, as she pointed the camera back to her face. "Zorro isn't too thrilled to be here, but he likes when I give him cat treats and leave him alone."

That brought laughter from them all, Orihime stopping first. "I'm sure Karin really appreciates you doing that."

"I'm sending her tons of pictures-" Mai broke off, as Bingo had jumped up to lick her face.

Hikari's sigh was heard, as he pointed the camera to him then. "The only downside to having animals in the house is that Mai wants to adopt animals even more than she already did. She was talking about wanting a dog all day."

"I want dog." Emi's voice was heard off-camera, and that made Mai laugh and Hikari sigh.

Mai's laughter came to a stop, as she had reached down to pick Emi up. "Alright, I hate to do it, but we need to go ahead and get off the phone. It's time for Emi's bath."

"Okay, give her tons of love for me," Orihime replied, as she and the others said goodbye. Once the phone was off, she looked at Mina who was currently sitting in-between Isshin and Hana. "Speaking of baths. We need to give Mina her bath within an hour, and that will hopefully keep her on track to being in bed on time."

"Should we just wait on watching the movie then?" Ichigo asked, his eyes going up to the paused television above the fireplace.

"Maybe we can start the movie, and stop it an hour in. We can take a half hour intermission," Isshin suggested, as he motioned to the coffee table. "That way this popcorn we made has a chance to be shared between all of us, instead of Hana and I eating it all while you two are giving Mina a bath."

"Damn, why did you have to suggest sharing?" Hana asked, making them all laugh.

"One thing I don't want to share is this pecan fudge," Isshin said, as he had plucked another from the bag, and took a bite. "These are so good."

Hana moved Mina onto her lap so she couch bounce her a little bit. Her eyes met Isshin's. "I knew you'd like them."

Ichigo watched how his dad smiled back at Hana, and a smile of his own appeared on his face. Wrapping his arm around Orihime, he met her eyes, and felt happiness at the sight of her. _I'm going to be married to this woman in a couple of months._

"What are you smiling about?" Orihime asked him.

"Nothing." Ichigo replied, kissing her cheek, before pressing play on the movie they were going to watch. Setting the remote down, he picked up his beer again, and took a sip. _This has been a pretty great day._

 **The next morning**

"Okay, I think this is a good place to stop," Ichigo said, as he pulled up next to a gas pump. He turned the car off, and met Orihime's eyes. "I'm going to fill up the car, then go park it in front of that cafe."

Taking off her seat belt, Orihime got out of the car, and moved around to the driver's side to get Mina out of her car seat. "I'm going to grab Mina and walk over now. I think she needs a diaper change."

"I'll be in there in a few minutes." Ichigo replied, watching as Orihime walked over to the Gala Diner that was next to the gas station they were at. They had been on the road for the past two and a half hours, and were stopping to fill the car up and have an early lunch.

After filling up the car, Ichigo drove it over to park it in front of the cafe. He got out and walked in just as he noticed Orihime moving over to sit at a table. Joining her, he smiled at Mina, who was sitting in a high chair at the end of the table. "She already seems much happier."

"I'm pretty sure it mostly has to do with the fact that this place has pictures of dogs everywhere," Orihime said, motioning to some of the paintings on the wall. "She loves all of them."

Ichigo opened the menu. "She'll be reunited with Bingo soon enough."

"And Zorro," Orihime reminded, as she picked up the other menu. "Karin will be at her music program for another two weeks, and until your dad and Hana come back from the cabin, we'll have Zorro at our house."

"I have to say that I'm not too thrilled with the idea of having Zorro at our house," Ichigo said, propping his head up with his hand. "The idea of having our furniture scratched up by Karin's cat is not really something I'm looking forward to."

"We have a young golden retriever and a one-year-old. I think it's safe to say our furniture is going to go downhill cat or no cat." Orihime replied with a chuckle, before the waitress came over to take their order.

After the waitress left, their focus went back to Mina. Ichigo reaching over to keep Mina from slipping her sippy cup off the table. "I know we only brought her normal sippy cups with us, but I wish we were using one of those spill-proof cups for her."

Orihime laughed. "Hopefully there won't be any incidents this time. That was so embarrassing at that restaurant last month. She spilled her cup not once, but twice!"

"I was trying to help the waitress clean everything up, but I'm pretty sure I was just making it worse."

"That's such a 'me' thing though," Orihime said, copying Ichigo in propping up her head. "Knocking over my cup two times in one sitting. I guess we know where she'll get her clumsiness from."

Ichigo and Orihime both laughed at that, before they both got a text from their wedding planner about meeting later. "Our wedding planner is going to be happy to hear that you've finally picked out your dress."

"I bet. I feel like she was thinking I'd end up walking down the aisle in my sweatshirt and leggings by the way things we were going for a while," Orihime said, as they both laughed. Reaching across the table, she took Ichigo's freehand. "It's still kind of surreal. In two months, we'll be marrying each other."

"I was thinking about that last night," Ichigo turned Orihime's hand over, so he could hold it better. "We're at such a good place right now, and I couldn't be happier."

Orihime's smile widened. "I couldn't agree more-"

The sound of thud and water spilling out interrupted Orihime, as Mina, without fail, managed to knock her cup over onto the table. Ichigo and Orihime shared a look, before they laughed. Ichigo being the first to get up to try to start cleaning up some of the water. "Yep, I couldn't be happier."

* * *

 **A/N: I really enjoyed writing this chapter. I loved writing the scene where Orihime finally finds her wedding dress and the ending scene was pretty fun to write too. As I've already mentioned on social media and on the author's note at the top of this chapter and the last chapter or so, this story is coming to an end with the next chapter.**

 **Don't forget to review, favorite, and share this story with others. Also be sure to check out my other stories.**

 **Be sure to like my page (Ruby1235 Fanfiction) on Facebook and follow me on twitter ( Ruby1235Fanfic) for updates, sneak peeks, and hints for current and new stories :)**


	28. Love

_Review:_

" _I was thinking about that last night," Ichigo turned Orihime's hand over, so he could hold it better. "We're at such a good place right now, and I couldn't be happier."_

 _Orihime's smile widened. "I couldn't agree more-"_

 _The sound of thud and water spilling out interrupted Orihime, as Mina, without fail, managed to knock her cup over onto the table. Ichigo and Orihime shared a look, before they laughed. Ichigo being the first to get up to try to start cleaning up some of the water. "Yep, I couldn't be happier."_

* * *

 **A couple of months later, August 11th**

"Okay," Nadia said, as they walked out onto the back porch. "We're about to start setting up some things today, but we'll do most of the outdoor setup early tomorrow morning."

"Everything is ready to go though, right?" Ichigo asked, as Orihime's attention went to overlooking what some of their wedding planners team was working with on the west side of the house.

Nadia nodded, as she was holding their wedding planner and her checklist. "I've checked every box, and everything is good to go. Ichigo's tux is already downstairs in the study, and Orihime, your wedding dress is upstairs in the master bedroom. Both of which, are ready to go for you two tomorrow. You two just need to get out of here, and go enjoy your bachelor and bachelorette parties tonight."

"So we just have to manage to show up tomorrow morning alive then?" Orihime asked, making them all laugh. She finally met Nadia's eyes. "Thank you so much for all of your help."

"You're very welcome. I want your wedding to be exactly what you want it to be," Nadia replied, her phone buzzing got her attention. "I have to go downstairs and talk to my team, but you two need to work on getting out of here. That way we can set up and you two will be surprised tomorrow morning."

"Hana—my dad's girlfriend—will be here in an hour or so," Ichigo said before Nadia could go inside to go walk down through the garage. "She offered to help with anything you all might need."

"Alright." Was all Nadia said as she got a phone call and walked inside.

When it was just the two of them, Ichigo joined Orihime in looking down at the team that was setting up a few things. "Are you sure we should have our wedding at our house?"

"I mean why not?" Orihime countered, propping her elbows on the porch railing. "We have all this open land, and it's really pretty with all the flowers I have growing around here now."

"That's true," Ichigo said, his eyes following their wedding team getting out the wedding arch. "I just figured it'd probably be less set up if we had it at a place that already had a lot of the wedding stuff."

Orihime gained a smile on her face, as she met Ichigo's eyes. "Well we could have just gone to a courthouse, but I don't think that would fly over well with our family."

"I would have to agree on that one-" Ichigo broke off when he heard Mina's giggling behind them. They had the gate up on the top of the porch steps to keep Mina and Bingo with them. He leaned down to scoop Mina up. "As much as I know you want to be here to supervise everything, we do have to get to my dad's."

Sighing heavily, Orihime tore her eyes away from the driveway to focus on Ichigo and Mina. She reached over and straightened out some wrinkles in Mina's dress. "I know. I appreciate the fact that Hana will be here to supervise everything. I just like to be in control."

"I know you do," Ichigo said, leaning over to kiss the top of Orihime's head. "Let's grab Bingo, then we can stop by Alona's before going to my dad's house."

"Sounds good to me," Orihime said, her eyes sliding down to focus on their golden retriever who had heard his name, and was already jumping up excitedly. "Let's go Bingo."

 **Isshin's house, forty-five minutes later**

"Oh my god, he is so tiny," Orihime said, coo-ing down at the small infant in her arms. Her eyes raising to her soon-to-be cousin, Kara. "And he looks just like Sanu, I swear."

"I have to say Nobu is a lot calmer than Sanu was at this age." Kara replied, her motherly eyes sharply watching Nobu for any sign of upset. "I have to say that this is the first time I've been out of the house with him since he was born, and it's as nerve-racking as it was with Sanu."

"You hardly look like you had a baby three weeks ago." Hana complemented, as she had walked over to put her shoes on.

"That's all thanks to breastfeeding," Kara replied, smiling as she accepted Nobu back from Orihime. "It's been easy healing after birth too, which is great, because I'm about to have a busy next month or so. My husband's birthday is two days after the wedding, then Sanu's birthday is next month. Which we really appreciate you guys letting us use your cabin for the first week in September. Sanu's going to love it for his birthday. I mean he's turning two, so he'll love it as much as a two-year-old who won't remember it will."

That made them all laugh, and Orihime met Hana's eyes. "Are you going over to the house?"

Hana nodded and picked up her purse. "Yeah, I'm just going to go for a few hours, then I'll come back here and make sure Isshin isn't about to pull his hair out from watching all the kids."

"My parents will be here for the weekend," Kara said, her free-hand motioning the back porch where most of Ichigo's extended family on his dad's side was currently finishing up eating lunch. "So you and Isshin will have plenty of help."

"We'll really appreciate it… Okay, I'll be back. Enjoy your bachelorette party tonight Orihime." Hana said, offering Orihime a big smile, before she left the house.

Orihime sighed as she looked to Kara. "I wish you could come tonight."

"I would, you know I would," Kara said, rubbing a hand on Nobu's back. "But Nobu's only three weeks old, and he's breastfeeding round the clock."

"Well, we'll have face-time at some point," Orihime said, glancing to the backyard where there were some dogs barking and children laughing. "I think I might go back outside for a little while. I'm not going to see Mina until the wedding tomorrow, since she'll be here, and I want to visit with the other kids a little bit."

"I'm going to go put Nobu down for a nap, then go find Sanu out there, as I'm sure he is ready for a nap too." Kara replied, standing up along with Orihime.

"Okay, sounds good," Orihime replied, starting towards the back door, a smile growing on her face again. _It's nice having Ichigo's whole family here. I want Mina to have a chance to know her relatives. I want her to have what I didn't have._ As she stepped out on the porch, she had to shield her eyes from the sun, and she moved over to sit down next to Ichigo. "Hey."

"Hey, where did you go?" Ichigo asked her, his hand resting on top of hers.

"I just had to get out of the sun for a minute. I forgot my sunglasses, and it's so bright out here."

"So it wasn't because you want to go hold Nobu?" Ichigo countered, grinning as her smile grew. "That's what I thought."

Orihime's phone buzzed with a text from Tatsuki asking where she was, and it brought Orihime to focus back on Ichigo. "I have to go soon. Tatsuki apparently is ready to start my party now."

"Day-drinking is _always_ a great idea." Ichigo shot back, chuckling and shaking his head.

"The sarcasm in your voice is very obvious," Orihime said, laughing along with him now. "However, I won't drink that much this early. I actually do want to make it to our wedding tomorrow."

"I want that too," Ichigo agreed, leaning over to kiss Orihime, before he settled back on his chair. "I guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow."

"For our wedding," Orihime said, smiling so much it was starting to almost hurt. She leaned over to kiss Ichigo this time, before she stood up and walked over to the railing. Her eyes going to where Rin and Mai were. "Hey are you two going to be ready soon?"

Watching as Orihime was getting Mina to say goodbye to her, Ichigo's focus turned to where his dad was sitting. "I know we've already said it, but we really appreciate that you and Hana are watching Mina, Raya, and Emi tonight."

"It's no trouble, I raised three kids to incase you forgot," Isshin replied with a chuckle. "It'll be nice having some noise in the house. It's been pretty quiet here with Karin gone almost all Summer, and Yuzu running around with her friends. Then of course Bingo, Zorro, and your cousin's dog will be here too. That will be interesting on it's own, as I feel like Zorro will be raising hell trying to stay away from the dogs."

"Hey at least it's you and not me on that one," Ichigo said, a smirk growing on his face. "When we had Zorro at the house with us, it was constantly us trying to keep him from scratching up our furniture."

"Ichigo," Orihime broke into the conversation as she was back over by him, and she leaned down to kiss him. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"For our wedding," Ichigo said, mimicking the words she told him a few minutes ago, before they kissed again. "I love you."

"I love you too."

 **Rin and Kei's House**

Trying to settle her laughter, Orihime took a sip of the margarita that Tatsuki just made for her. "I told Ichigo that I wasn't going to drink that much."

"Then don't drink that much," Tatsuki replied, as she poured another margarita and handed it over to Rin. "Although, this will probably be a pretty boring bachelorette party if you're relatively sober the whole time."

"Not necessarily," Mai replied, then she laughed. "Of course, I can't really say anything, because I don't even remember half of mine. There was a lot of vodka."

Orihime propped her head on her hand. "I didn't mean like entirely. I told him I wasn't going to drink that much this afternoon, because an entire day of day-drinking will lead to me probably not making it down the aisle tomorrow."

"You'll be fine," Tatsuki said, finishing filling two glasses with margaritas, before sliding them over to Akira then to Yuzu. "I feel like your brother would be pretty mad at me supplying you with alcohol, but I also really don't care what he thinks, so drink up."

Yuzu grinned as she took a sip of the margarita. "He probably wouldn't approve of me doing half the things I do."

"Where's Karin?" Akira asked, her fingers tapping against the counter. "She is coming right?"

"Her flight is supposed to be coming in within the hour, so she could be here anytime within the next couple hours," Orihime replied, her eyes following Akira, who had shared a look with Rin. "Why are you two looking at each other like that? You two know what she's been up to, because she's doing that thing to get assigned to a Somi team."

"Yeah of course," Rin said at the same time as Akira nodded and laughed. "Sure."

Raising an eyebrow at that response, Orihime was going to question it, but the door opened and she immediately laughed and threw her hands up. "Finally! I've been wondering where you ladies were!"

"Sorry," Kimi started, as she, Kira, and Michi walked in. "Michi was driving so slowly-"

"Excuse me," Michi interrupted, a hand propped on her hip. "I was being cautious. Not everyone wants to drive twenty miles over the speed limit."

"You obviously haven't been in the car with Orihime that often." Tatsuki joked, making the others laugh, and Orihime sigh over-dramatically.

However, Orihime quickly switched her tone as Kira got closer. "Okay, I need to see hundreds of pictures of Hiroko right now."

"Only if I get ones of Mina." Kira replied, as she and Orihime switched phones after pulling up their photo galleries.

"I'm making my second round of margaritas," Tatsuki said, as the other women settled down. "However, I am giving a warning that usually the more margaritas I make the more tequila that goes into them. But that's usually due to me drinking as I make them."

"Sounds good to me," Kira said, her eyes focused intently on the photos of Mina on Orihime's phone. "There is no such thing as too much tequila-"

"I have to disagree," Rukia interrupted, as she held up a hand. "I have found the too much limit, and it is not a fun experience. Orihime almost killed me one day."

Orihime hummed and smiled at Rukia. "I think you're over-exaggerating a bit. We were totally fine."

"I think you are under-exaggerating." Rukia said, making the others laugh.

"Not to change the subject," Michi said, her focus on Orihime. "But I am drowning in wedding planning, and I would love the number of the wedding planner you used."

Orihime motioned to her phone that Kira still had. "Of course, I'll text it to you later. Oh and mention that I recommended you, and I think you can get a discount or something like that. But Nadia has been absolutely amazing. She's mainly focused here in Karakura, but she's flexible and will go the extra mile to meet with you digitally or in person."

"That's perfect, because I just need help making sure I am remembering everything," Michi said, her eyes slid over to Rin. "When are you and Kei getting married?"

"October. We are also using Nadia—their wedding planner—and she has made everything so easy." Rin replied, moving over to sit next to Michi at the kitchen table.

Orihime's eyes went back to the phone where she was looking at more photos of Hiroko, and she smiled. The sound of her friends laughing and chatting felt good. _This feels like a normal friend get together, and I really appreciate it. It's just wild thinking that it will be leading up to me marrying my Ichigo tomorrow._

 **Mai and Hikari's House**

"Okay, it's official," Ichigo said, as they walked into one of the rooms that branched off from the garage at Mai and Hikari's house. It was Hikari's "man cave" type room that had a pool table, a big TV for games, and a bar. "I need one of these rooms at my house. I'm pretty sure that's the only way Orihime would be okay with me getting a pool table for the house."

"Mai was the same way," Hikari said, as he grabbed some beers out of the refrigerator behind the bar. "As long as I don't spend every night in here, she's relatively okay with it."

"I don't know how you manage that," Renji said, eyeing the television. "This TV is huge. I would be in here all the time."

Hikari chuckled as he handed out beers. "Wait until you get married and have kids. Things very quickly change from being able to do whatever you want all the time."

"This whole marriage thing already sounds great." Ichigo joked as they set up for a game of pool.

"Oh it is great," Ryuu said, a smirk as he and Hikari shared a look. "It's great until we do something that makes our wives mad, because now there is usually threats of divorce."

That made them all laugh, Hikari being the first to break the laughter. "It's usually just a joke, but sometimes you can't tell."

"And sometimes you can tell," Ryuu said, motioning to himself. "One time when I was watching Hiroko while Kira went to the store, I look away from him for five minutes to play one game, and look back to find that he's managed to draw in sharpie over the entire kitchen table and chairs. I can tell you right now that was probably the most terrifying Kira's ever looked."

"How did you manage to get out of that alive?" Toshiro asked.

Ryuu grinned at that. "I just bought a new table and chairs and sent her flowers everyday for the next week, and that seemed to lessen the blow."

"Oh another tip," Hikari said, starting the game of pool once everything was set up. "Another thing that has prompted the topic of divorce is that if you do something mad and they ignore you, that's fine. But if they do something that makes you mad, you're apparently not supposed to ignore them or else it makes them even more mad at you."

While that made the other guys laugh, Ichigo deadpanned at Hikari and Ryuu. "Like I said, you two are making marriage sound like so much fun," he said, breaking into laughter with the others now. "I'm just kidding. Orihime and I certainly have our arguments here and there, but we're much better at talking things out now."

"That whole talking thing out concept is neat," Toshiro said, a smirk growing on his face. "However, it's usually followed after an hour or two of you or Orihime angrily texting or calling all of your friends to complain about each other."

Ichigo laughed after pocketing a striped ball. "Well, not everyone can be like you and my sister who somehow never argue and manage to rationally talk everything out right away."

"I don't think that's possible," Keitaro said, opening his beer and taking a swig. "I feel like Kimi and I fight almost every other day about the most ridiculous things."

"It is possible," Renji said, shaking his head. "And it's highly annoying, because now when Rukia and I argue, she gets mad that I can't just "talk things out" with her like Toshiro and Karin do."

"Okay," Toshiro started, motioning to Renji. "It's not like Karin and I don't get mad at each other, because we do. We just find that it works out better to tell each other immediately why we are mad and what needs to change to prevent it from happening again."

"I would like to try that," Hayate said, although he laughed at the thought. "Michi and I don't fight often, but when we do, I think trying to talk about it right away just makes things ten times worse."

"Well you and Kei need to get better at that apparently," Ichigo said, pocketing another striped ball. "Because you two are getting married next."

 **Rin and Kei's House, a couple of hours later**

"Oh finally you made it!" Orihime exclaimed happily as Karin walked in.

"Sorry, my flight got delayed," Karin said, kicking off her shoes in the doorway, then she moved over towards the others. She smiled at the sight of all the empty shot glasses. "So, is everyone already buzzed?"

"Yes," Orihime replied, before she motions to the bar area. "We came prepared though, so you have plenty of options."

"I could use a shot right now. Navigating the airport was miserable," Karin said, noticing Tatsuki motioned to the array of bottles. "Tequila."

Tatsuki grabbed the bottle of tequila and filled a shot glass. "Well, if anything, when it comes down to Orihime and Ichigo getting married tomorrow, the one thing all the women in your family seem to have in common is tequila."

"I don't know if that's a good or bad thing yet. It all depends on how we wake up tomorrow," Karin replied before she took her shot. "Wow, I already feel the stress of the nightmare at the airport floating away."

"There is a part of me that feels like I shouldn't be encouraging you and Yuzu drinking," Orihime said, but she shrugged and propped her head up with her hand. "However, when Tatsuki and I were sixteen we probably did things that were much worse. So, this is okay, I think."

While that made the others laugh, Karin shook her head. "I don't know, I would have to say that you might want to consult with Yuzu on that one. She might have you beat on that."

"Really?" Orihime questioned turning around in her chair to look at Yuzu. "Like what things?"

Yuzu scowled and glared at Karin. "Thank you."

"Hey, Orihime's about to be our sister tomorrow. She should get to know all the fun stuff too," Karin pointed out, then she glanced back to Orihime. "However, we don't tell Ichigo these things. So that might actually be a conflict of interest."

"I can keep a secret." Orihime insisted.

Karin smirked as all the women were focused on Yuzu now, and she just grabbed her suitcase and moved down to one of the guest bedrooms. Once inside, she grabbed a change of clothes out of her suitcase and changed into more casual clothes.

A slight knock on the door frame got her attention, and she turned around to the doorway as she was slipping her shirt on over her head. Akira was standing in the doorway. "What's up?"

"Well," Akira started, as she leaned against the door frame. Her arms crossed over her chest. "How did it go?"

Karin hesitated after pulling her hair down from its ponytail, then she smiled. "It went better than I could have ever imagined."

"That's good," Akira said, an eyebrow raised when Karin didn't say anything more. "Are you going to tell your family yet?"

"No… It's nice having this to myself. I don't think they'd understand. Look, if this is about you and Rin keeping this secret-"

"Karin, that doesn't matter. Rin and I both agreed to do this for you. However, you are saying your family won't understand, but it does technically involve your family."

"It's not going to hurt them not knowing-" Karin broke off when Yuzu walked in.

Yuzu stopped, realizing she interrupted something. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," Karin said quickly, sharing a look with Akira, and briefly shaking her head. Her eyes moved back to Yuzu. "I'm surprised you're not deep into the stories of your drinking adventures."

"Thanks for that," Yuzu shot back, noticing Akira took that opportunity to leave and go back to everyone else. Her eyes met Karin's. "So, have you see Toshiro yet?"

"No, we'll see each other tomorrow at the wedding. However, I have to go right back to the airport after the reception is over," Karin replied, walking outside the room, and motioning for Yuzu to go with her. "Let's go back out."

 **Later that night**

"So, you're going back to Silvermist?" Chad asked, as he took a sip of beer.

"Yeah, Orihime and I both right away chose that for our honeymoon," Ichigo replied, setting his own beer down on the patio table. He and Chad had stepped outside to get some air after spending the last several hours drinking, playing pool, or playing video games. "We contemplated going to my family's cabin, but we figure that we might do that at the end of September or early October. Just us, Mina, and Bingo."

"That's going to be a nice getaway," Chad said, and after a moment of silence, he chuckled. "I can't believe you're getting married tomorrow."

Ichigo smirked, and propped his head upon his hand. "Honestly, I never thought I'd be getting married this early in life. But, I've never been so happy, and I don't have a single doubt."

"I'm happy for you."

"And I have to thank you man," Ichigo said, a grin on his face. "There's no one else I would want to be officiating my wedding."

"Of course. It's the least I could do. By the time you come back from your honeymoon, I'll be pretty busy," Chad took another sip of his beer. "I am about to start my first semester of college. My dad wants me to take over the business, and if I want to do that, I have to get a business degree. I won't be able to work on construction sites as much, but I'll be back in Karakura a little bit more."

Ichigo chuckled. "I'll take it. You were gone so much in the last year. Then Uryu moved to Windsworth. Then some of my old friends from high school have moved even further away. It's like everyone is leaving."

"That's called growing up," Chad said, then they both laughed. He stood up and stretched a bit. "I think I'm going to go back inside."

"I'll be inside in a minute. I'm going to make a phone call." Ichigo said, waiting until after Chad walked inside to dial a phone number. However, he hit facetime instead, and he smiled when Orihime's face popped up.

"Hey Ichigo!" Orihime greeted, raising her voice a little to be heard over the others in the room. She appeared to be stepping outside, and she finally took a breath. "Sorry, it was really loud in there."

"I wanted to talk to you, because we haven't talked since lunch," Ichigo said, then he shrugged. "And it is still before midnight, so I'm not technically seeing you before our wedding."

Orihime laughed at that. "I thought that only counts if I'm in my wedding dress. You're not supposed to see me in my wedding dress before the wedding… Right? Or is it both?

"I'm sure actually," Ichigo said with a chuckle. "I can't keep up with all of that."

Orihime smiled. "I'm not going to be very helpful on that, because I'm under the influence of a lot of alcohol."

"Same here," Ichigo agreed, laughing along with Orihime this time. When their laughter settled, he smiled at her. "I love you."

"I love you too," Orihime said, a noise in the background on her side of the face time got her attention. "I'm going to have to get back."

"Alright, see you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow." Orihime said, before the facetime ended.

Setting his phone down on the patio table, Ichigo eyes focused on the starry sky above him, a smile on his face. _Tomorrow..._

 **The next morning, August 12th**

Fidgeting with his bow-tie, Ichigo felt his fingers shaking a little, as he looked at himself in the mirror. He was standing in the study that the wedding planner had made into a makeshift room for him to get ready in, as Orihime was upstairs in their bedroom.

"So, everything's ready," Isshin's voice carried in from outside the room, before he entered the room. His eyes going to his son. "We're ready to get started son."

"Good. That's great." Ichigo said, straightening out the sleeves of his tux, as he took a long deep breath.

Isshin smirked at the sight of his son. "I haven't seen you this nervous since that day that you came home and told me that Orihime was pregnant."

"Yeah… A lot has changed in my life since then." Ichigo said, a smile growing on his face.

"I'm happy for you Ichigo," Isshin said, as Ichigo turned away from the mirror to face him. "Orihime is an amazing woman, and I'm happy you found each other."

"I was lucky to find her," Ichigo agreed, his eyes going back to the door where Karin and Yuzu showed up. His eyes going to Karin specifically. "Surprise you showed up. You've been gone all Summer."

Karin smirked at her older brother. "Well, I came mostly for the wedding cake, but I guess seeing Orihime get married is a plus too."

That made them all laugh, and Ichigo rolled his eyes at Karin's words. "Thanks… Jokes aside, I'm glad I have all of you to be here for me."

"Of course," Karin said, waving a hand. "We're a family, and all that sappy stuff."

"Are you ready Ichigo?" Yuzu asked, after they all laughed again.

Clasping his hands together, Ichigo nodded. "I am. Let's do this."

 **Upstairs**

Orihime stepped out of the bathroom, and walked out in front of the floor length mirror. Her head tilted to the side, as she studied her reflection. From her hair down to her dress she looked just as she imagined she would. Yet tears slowly found their way to her eyes, as she stared at her reflection.

"You okay?" Tatsuki asked, having been sitting on Orihime and Ichigo's bed, and watching Orihime as she came out. She could see the emotion in her friend's eyes almost immediately.

"Yeah," Orihime said, sniffling a little, as she tried to stop from actually crying and messing up her makeup. "I just wish so badly that my brother could be here with me."

"He's always with you. Maybe not physically, but he's there." Tatsuki replied, stepping forward, and holding out two familiar blue hairpins.

Seeing the familiar blue hair pins, Orihime smiled. "I haven't worn them since I first lost my powers when I got pregnant with Mina."

"I know. Once you became a shinigami things changed too," Tatsuki said, reaching up to slide the pins in alongside Orihime's veil. "You should be wearing them today."

"Thank you, Tatsuki." Orihime said, waiting until Tatsuki was finished tucking the pins into her hair, before she hugged her.

After hugging for a moment, Tatsuki pulled back and smiled at how Orihime was definitely crying this time. "Okay, I think you're going to want to touch up your makeup real quick, and stop crying."

"I don't know if I'll be able to stop." Orihime replied with a laugh, as she and Tatsuki worked on fixing up her makeup, as she took some deep breaths.

"You look perfect," Tatsuki complimented after they finished up. She gave her hand a squeeze, as she smiled. "I'm going to go ahead and go down okay?"

"Okay, thank you, Tatsuki." Orihime said, waiting until after Tatsuki left the room, before she turned back to the mirror. Her eyes immediately moving up to her hair, where she had the blue pins tucked in alongside her veil. They brought a smile to her face. _Sora is here with me today. Looking over me. I hope he's proud of me._

 **Outside**

"You seem to be a little nervous." Chad commented after a few minutes of watching Ichigo fidget with the cuffs on his tuxedo.

"Of course I'm nervous," Ichigo said, stopping his fidgeting at the mention. "I'm about to marry my dream girl, and all I can think about is how did I manage to find her and have her want to marry me."

"Don't sell yourself short. You two were made for each other," Chad replied, his hands clasped together. "I wouldn't go through the process of becoming a wedding officiant unless I thought the two people were worth doing it for."

Tatsuki approaching got Ichigo's attention this time, and he scowled at her. "Nice of you to finally show up."

Smirking at his tone, Tatsuki stopped beside him. "You have to share me remember?"

"How could I forget? You are min and Orihime's collective best man/maid of honor," Ichigo said, a smirk growing on his face. "Of course you spent all yesterday and last night with Orihime, and like five minutes with me this morning. Only for you to tell me that you thought I could use another shower."

Tatsuki laughed shortly. "Well, to be fair, you looked like hell and were very obviously hungover."

"And Orihime wasn't hungover this morning?"

"She was, but she can pull off hungover very well." Tatsuki shot back, as they both laughed.

After a moment of silence, Ichigo glanced away from the end of the aisle where Orihime would appear any moment now and to Tatsuki. "How is she?"

"She's fine? Why are you asking?" Tatsuki countered, an eyebrow raised.

"Tatsuki." Was all Ichigo said.

Sighing, Tatsuki crossed her arms over her chest. "She's thought a lot about her brother. It's another big moment in her life, and she can't share it with him. But she's happy Ichigo. She's excited and nervous, but that's to be expected… Are you okay?"

Remaining silent for a moment, Ichigo hummed lowly, before he nodded. "Yes, I'm okay. I'm excited. I'm nervous. I've never felt happier than I am right now though."

That brought a genuine smile to Tatsuki's face. "Good."

The music picked up and everyone stood, and Ichigo turned his head to find Orihime was finally there. He took her in, inch by inch, as she approached the alter. The world seemed to slow down around them, as she finally got over to him. Taking her hands in his, Ichigo's heart fluttered.

As the ceremony continued with Chad doing his part as their officiant, Orihime and Ichigo were in their own little bubble, as they kept each other's eyes. It wasn't until Chad cleared his throat, his eyes on Ichigo. "Ichigo and Orihime have decided to write their own vows, and Ichigo can begin his."

"Oh, I get to go first, okay then," Ichigo said, having to pause as that brought a snicker from Tatsuki. Fighting the urge to roll his eyes at the smirk that settled on Tatsuki, Ichigo took a breath and focused back on Orihime. Her eyes took him in right away, and a smile returned to his face. "Everyone grows up with a picture of how their life is supposed to go. Honestly, growing up picturing myself married and with a family, that wasn't something I had on mind. I figured that would come along later in life. However, as I got older, I've found that things don't actually follow that life plan. My life in the last five to six years has definitely turned into something that I never expected. But I wouldn't change anything, because it brought me closer to you. It brought me our daughter. You're the best thing that has happened to me. Mina's surprise entrance into our lives was the best thing that happened to us. None of it was according to the plan, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I love you so much, and there's no one else that I'd rather spend the rest of my life with."

Taking a breath to try to push back the tears that wanted to pour down her face after his words, Orihime felt Ichigo's thumb sliding over her hand, and that little comfort helped her finally speak. "I didn't have much growing up. I learned early on to be grateful for what little I did have. Which was an older brother who had to step in and take care of me when my parents failed to do so. While he wasn't ready for the responsibility of raising a kid, he made sure that I knew that I was loved, and that he would do whatever it would take to make sure I was taken care of-" She had to pause as she felt the tears come back, and she had to take another deep breath. "After my brother died it took a lot from me, and I had to regrow as a person. You and our friends helped me with that. These past two years have changed my life. I found myself apart of a family. I'm gaining a father-in-law and two sisters. I've gained a daughter, and a really feisty golden retriever."

That brought laughter from everyone, and it gave Orihime an opportunity to take a moment to laugh herself. "And today I'm gaining a husband. All of these amazing and life-changing people in my life made me realize something else. I'm finding something that had been lost over the years," she said, giving Ichigo's hands a little squeeze. "I'm finding the love. The love from you, from our family, and from our friends… I feel so loved and happy, and I owe so much of that to you. I love you Ichigo."

Having barely got through that without completely breaking down and crying, Orihime kept her focus on Ichigo's eyes. The rest of what was said went right past her, and it wasn't until they exchanged rings that she was brought back to the moment they had been waiting for.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife," Chad said, noticing how Ichigo was already moving to Orihime. "You may kiss the bride."

As their lips met, Orihime and Ichigo's world over-flowed with happiness. The cheers and clapping from their family and friends seemed so far away, as they were wrapped up in that moment. When their kiss finally broke, Ichigo reached up to try to wipe away some of Orihime's tears, as he felt some in his own eyes. "I love you, so much."

"I love you too, Ichigo." Orihime said, as they kissed again, before allowing themselves to be surrounded by their family and friends. The ceremony officially came to a close, and she finally had Mina in her arms.

"Momma." Mina said happily, as she snuggled into her mom's arms for some love.

"My baby girl," Orihime said, enjoying the moment, as everyone was on their way inside to eat and relax. Hearing a bark, she smiled as Ichigo was walking over with Bingo. "He was so well behaved during the ceremony. He only tried to walk over to us twice."

"How did you even notice that?" Ichigo countered, holding a hand out to get Bingo to sit instead of trying to jump on Orihime to get to Mina. "The entire ceremony seemed to blur by and the only thing I could even focus on was you. That certainly is the perfect dress for you."

Feeling her cheeks grow slightly warm, Orihime adjusted Mina, as she tucked a stray hair out of her face. "Thank you, and I felt the same way about you. However, I was facing in the direction where Bingo happened to be diagonal to me, and it's hard not to notice a large golden retriever coming your way."

"He certainly has gotten big," Ichigo said, as Bingo barked and they both laughed. His eyes focused back on Orihime's, as he wrapped his free arm around her and kissed her. "This has been the best day of my life, and I am so incredibly happy that I'll be spending the rest of that life with you."

At how close Ichigo was, Mina was able to reach her hand out for his bow-tie. "Bow."

"You've got your own bow in your hair Mina," Orihime reminded, as she adjusted the bow in their daughter's bright orange hair. "Ichigo, there's a part of me that knows that regardless of the events that happened to us in the past two years, we would have found each other and loved each other. But our daughter really brought us together, and this all started with her. It makes me love her and you so much more."

"I know," Ichigo agreed, his eyes meeting Orihime's again, and they shared warm smiles. "No matter what happens, from now on, all that matters is our family."

"I couldn't agree more-"

"Hey, you two!" Tatsuki's voice interrupted Orihime from where she was now on their back porch. "We know you two are so in love and married now, but if I don't have my goddaughter in my arms in the next two minutes, I'm going to be highly disappointed!"

Orihime and Ichigo laughed at Tatsuki's words, and Orihime waved a hand at her. "We'll be right up!"

Ichigo held out his free-hand to Orihime. "Ready to go Mrs. Kurosaki?"

"I'm ready." Orihime replied, accepting his hand, as they started walking. She watched as Bingo excitedly pulled them forward, Mina's happy little giggles, and Ichigo chuckling beside her. Her eyes lifted to the sky where there was one lone cloud floating up there. _Sora, I wouldn't be where I am today if you hadn't shown me so much love. I know you're watching over me, and I want you to know that I'm okay. I feel so happy. I feel so much love._

* * *

 **A/N: And the story has come to an end. I practically cried my way through writing that last scene, because I have been thinking about where this storyline started and where it's ended up. I am so incredibly happy with this story.**

 **I don't currently have plans to write a sequel to this one, but that is not necessarily definite. I am continuing to write the spin-off series(Secrets & Dreams) and Orihime, Ichigo and Mina will make regular appearances in that story. So, if you want to see what happens to them I definitely recommend reading the spin-off series. If you would like for me to write a sequel to this story, let me know in the reviews or on my social media.**

 **Don't forget to review, favorite, and share this story with others. Also be sure to check out my other stories.**

 **Be sure to like my page (Ruby1235 Fanfiction) on Facebook and follow me on twitter ( Ruby1235Fanfic) for updates, sneak peeks, and hints for current and new stories :)**


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